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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25164034">SGXCOM: Stargate SG-1/XCOM:  Enemy Unknown/Within Crossover</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErikModi/pseuds/ErikModi'>ErikModi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stargate SG-1, XCOM (Video Games) &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, Work In Progress, XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within, daily updates (hopefully)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:08:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>81,348</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25164034</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErikModi/pseuds/ErikModi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by the other great Stargate SG-1/XCOM crossover, is this is my take on a similar idea, but using XCOM from Enemy Unknown.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Introduction</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yes, this is another SG1/XCom fic.  Yes, I read Hotpoint’s (mostly) excellent <em> XSGCOM:  Goa’uld Defense </em> , and yes, this was partly inspired by his work.  Yes, this fic is based on the remake <em> XCOM:  Enemy Unknown </em> and its expansion, <em> Enemy Within </em> , not the original <em> X-Com:  UFO Defense </em> (or <em> UFO:  Enemy Unknown </em> , as it is alternately titled).  Yes, I am aware that <em> Enemy Unknown </em> is set about ten years too late to co-exist with SG1, but if we’re accepting that these two franchises exist in the same universe, we can accept that they also exist at the same time.</p><p>The reason I’m using <em> XCOM:  Enemy Unknown/Within </em> is twofold:  First, I have still not played the original <em> X-Com </em> (it’s on my to-do list, don’t panic), and second, I like the characters and think having them interact with the characters from <em> Stargate:  SG1 </em> would be interesting.</p><p>I am using the same “point of divergence” Hotpoint did, because it seems the most logical.  That is, when SG-1 beamed the Stargate up to Thor’s ship to escape from a Replicator infestation, then crashed the ship in the ocean to destroy (all but one of) the Replicators.  (3.22 <em> Nemesis </em> and 4.01 <em> Small Victories </em> .)  Instead of the Russians recovering the Alpha Gate, however (as shown in 4.07 <em> Watergate </em>), XCOM did, and with a dialing device (gifted to them by Russian associates of the XCOM project), they were able to leverage their way into accord with the SGC.</p><p>The partnership is on a much more equitable level than in XSGCOM, as <em> Enemy Unknown </em> is a much more forgiving game than <em> UFO Defense </em> , so XCOM operatives aren’t as. . . <em> enthusiastic </em> as they were in Hotpoint’s fic, and more willing to listen to the SGC’s voices of experience on how going through the Gate is completely different, and as challenging in its own way, as doing battle with Sectoids.  XCOM also has a few more level heads and Reasonable Authority Figures among them, including Central Officer Bradford as well as the character who will serve as the SGC’s XCOM liaison, advisor, and commander of XCOM personal assigned to the SGC.</p><p><strike>This will not be anywhere near the epic Hotpoint made</strike> Okay, apparently it will be.  <strike>For one, I just don’t have that kind of time (especially while still working on writing things I can hopefully actually get paid for), and for another, his almost episode-by-episode rewrite was fantastic, and I can’t really top what he did and shouldn’t try.  Rather, I see this is a series of vignettes, focusing on the aspects of the SGC/XCOM alliance I find interesting, and telling my own story within this shared universe (as well as explaining how a few things change due to it being a shared universe)</strike>.  There will also be fewer action setpieces, as again I can’t hope to top Hotpoint’s Crazy Awesome X-Com troopers in that department, and because things are scaled down quite a bit for this crossover (Avalanche missiles are <em> NOT </em> thermonuclear warheads. . . no point splashing UFOs if you’re going to irradiate the whole planet with sufficient successful interceptions.)  I’ll <em> hopefully </em> be writing the scenes in order, but as new things occur to me, I might need to go back and fill in a spot here or there, we’ll see as I get rolling.  This is only intended to run up to the (victorious, thus, non-canon) end of <em> Enemy Unknown </em>, and just a bit past that to create some resolution to dangling plot threads.</p><p>I’m also expanding out the game’s timeframe to match up with certain points in the <em> SG-1 </em> universe.  Partly for pacing and structure reasons, but also because it’s frankly ludicrous that humans could develop and mass-produce functional plasma weapons in four-to-six months of research.  <em> SG-1 </em> science advancement moved at a relative snail’s pace, as it was a long-running TV show where Status Quo Was God (mostly), and new technology was only very slowly introduced so that the fundamental premise (underdog humans fighting against vastly powerful aliens who claim to be gods) didn’t go completely out the window (and they kept it going for ten years, so they must have been doing something right).  <em> Enemy Unknown </em> , however, is a video game, which rewards the player with increased power to match the increased difficulty.  So I’ll be compromising on the two.  XCOM will initially have some better tech to offer the SCG thanks to their more aggressive approach in securing and researching alien equipment, and together they’ll advance faster and in different directions than either would alone, but the overall pace of advancement from <em> EU </em> will be much longer.  Consider it playing with the “Marathon” Second Wave option or using the Long War mod.</p><p><strike>And yes, I will be linking to TvTropes.  Abandon All Free Time, Ye Who Clicketh Here</strike> Actually, I won't, because the Notes doesn't support it.  Oh, well.</p><p>Originally posted (and still in-progress) on <a href="https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/sgxcom-stargate-sg-1-xcom-enemy-unknown-within-crossover.576896/">Spacebattles</a>. Many more chapters are there, but I'll be posting the ones I've finished quickly.  The Notes there has the full array of links, both to SG-1 and XCOM wikis, and TvTropes where appropriate (or funny).</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Operation Busy Signal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which things begin.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Stargate Command</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, USA</b>
</p><p>
  <b>August, 2000</b>
</p><p>Major General George Hammond hung up the red phone in his office and sighed deeply.  This was certainly going to be interesting.</p><p>A knock on the frame of his open office door made him look up.  “Jack, come in,” he said to the man at the door.</p><p>“You wanted to see me, sir?” Colonel Jack O’Neill asked, stepping into the office and slumping into one of the chairs before Hammond’s desk.</p><p>“Yes, Colonel.  We have a problem.”</p><p>“I know,” Jack replied.  “Carter’s been trying to get the ‘Gate to dial for ten minutes.”</p><p>“I’m aware.  I just got off the phone with someone calling himself the ‘Spokesman for the UN Council for Planetary Defense.”</p><p>“The what?” O’Neill asked.  “Since when does the UN have one of those?”</p><p>“I have no idea,” Hammond replied.  “He also told me that the reason we can’t dial our ‘Gate is because the XCOM Project is currently using theirs.”</p><p>O’Neill blinked.  “What’s an XCOM, and why do they have a Stargate?”</p><p>“They have a Stargate because they fished ours out of the ocean after you beamed it up to Thor’s ship before crashing it into the Pacific.”</p><p>O’Neill was silent a moment.  “Oh,” he said finally.</p><p>“Yeah, ‘oh.’  As to who XCOM is, I don’t know that either.  This Spokesman is remarkably cryptic and tight-lipped.  He did say he’d be in touch, and that this should only be a temporary inconvenience.”</p><p>“Hopefully not too temporary for the Enkarans,” Jack muttered.</p><p>“Hopefully, Colonel.”</p><p>“Do we know anything about this guy, or the Council he’s supposedly on?”</p><p>Hammond shook his head.  “He didn’t even give me his name.”  Hammond gestured to the red phone on his desk.  “Honestly, if the call hadn’t come in on <em> this </em> phone, I’d be tempted to write it off as a prank.”</p><p>“Some prank, with a broken ‘Gate, sir.”</p><p>“Got that right.  Tell Carter to give it a rest for half an hour, then try again.  This XCOM should have hit the 38-minute window by then.”</p><p>“And if XCOM, whoever they are, show up in our Gateroom?” O’Neill asked.</p><p>“I’ve been assured that won’t happen, but if it does, we will extend them every courtesy, while asking them some very pointed questions.”</p><p>“Understood, General,” Jack replied.</p>
<hr/><p>The ‘Gate did, indeed, begin working normally again half an hour later, and normal SGC operations resumed for a few days.  General Hammond spent what seemed like the entirety of those days on his various phones, talking to everyone from his immediate superior, through all the Joint Chiefs of Staff, up to the President himself, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on.  Secured, Top Secret, Eyes-Only packages arrived for him daily, showing him glimpses of what the XCOM Project was, and what threat it had been created to combat.  Slowly, a large, ugly, and very unsettling picture began to form.  Finally, a week later, General Hammond called SG-1 into his office once again.</p><p>“I’m about to get another call from this Council Spokesman, and I wanted you to hear it.”</p><p>“Does he want us to hear it?” Major Samantha Carter asked.</p><p>“I don’t much care what he wants at the moment, but yes, I’ve been allowed to have you present.”  Almost on cue, Hammond’s red phone began to ring.  Hammond switched it over to speaker.  “Hello?”</p><p>“Greetings, General,” a rich, deep voice said from the speaker.  “You and your people are to be commended for their efforts against alien aggressors loose in this galaxy, but we have other threats closer to home.  A series of coordinated attacks by an unknown extraterrestrial enemy have taken place across the globe.  So far, we have been able to keep these attacks mostly out of the public eye, but it is only a matter of time before the alien’s activities are noticed.  This Council has activated the XCOM Project to combat these invaders, discover their true nature and agenda, and wipe them out.  To that end, XCOM has aggressively pursued alien technology, mostly captured from invaders they have defeated in battle.  Their recent recovery of your lost Stargate has placed them at cross-purposes to your own efforts.  As a result, it is the decision of this Council that Stargate Command and the XCOM Project combine their efforts against all extraterrestrial threats to this planet.</p><p>“The XCOM base is located in South America.  To facilitate cooperation, several important members of XCOM staff will travel to Area 51 in two days’ time.  General, you will send your SG-1 team to meet with them, and discuss the specifics of your cooperation.  At a minimum, four XCOM Operatives will be assigned to the SGC to join your existing SG teams, with a high-ranking officer to act as on-site Commander and liaison between Stargate Command and the XCOM Project.  Area 51 will serve as a joint research and fabrication center, working on technologies recovered by the SGC and XCOM, though both groups are encouraged to continue their own, “in-house” developments.</p><p>“Good luck, General.  And remember, we will be watching.”  The line went dead.</p><p>O’Neill blinked.  “That guy should do movie trailers.”</p><p>“So, wait, that’s it?” Carter asked.  “This guy just tells us to coordinate with this XCOM Project?”</p><p>Hammond nodded.  “So it would seem.  I did get this earlier this morning.”  He pulled a large file out of his desk drawer.  “It’s got some limited information on what XCOM’s been up to, what they’ve been facing, and the bare minimum level of cooperation this ‘Planetary Defense Council’ has in mind.  I think we should go a bit beyond that, because of this.”  Hammond pulled one of the pictures out of the file, and placed it on his desk.</p><p>“Oh, you gotta be kidding me!” O’Neill exclaimed.</p><p>“I’m afraid not, Jack,” Hammond replied.</p><p>The picture was helpfully labelled with “SUBJECT:  SECTOID” on the caption, and was blurry and grainy enough it clearly came from a small camera.  The creature was standing upright, one spindly arm elevated to fire the weapon strapped to its wrist.  The slender, almost emaciated body shape, long limbs, and bulbous head gave it an all-too-familiar profile.</p><p>“That’s not an Asgard,” Samantha stated.</p><p>“No way,” Jack agreed.  “Head’s too big, color’s all wrong, and they don’t scamper around on all fours like that.”</p><p>“Nevertheless, the resemblance is remarkable,” Teal’c noted, looking at the picture.</p><p>“Ah, how many aliens have we seen look human?” O’Neill asked.</p><p>“Only the human ones,” Daniel replied.  “Humans taken by the Goa’uld, or Asgard, from Earth.  They live on other planets, they might have some slight physical differences, but they’re still human.  When we meet actual, non-human aliens, they tend to look. . . well, alien.”</p><p>“And nothing like each other, really,” Carter added.  “Parallel evolution is great for low-budget sci-fi, but it’s really highly unlikely that two completely unrelated species would be physically similar.”</p><p>“I don’t care,” Jack replied.  “That’s not an Asgard.”</p><p>“Then we need to find out what it actually is,” Hammond said.  “To that end, I think we should try and work with XCOM, see what they know, and what they’ll share with us.  I think it might also be best not to mention the Asgard until we can get in touch with them about this and see what they say.”</p><p>“Agreed, sir,” Carter replied.</p><p>“Indeed,” Teal’c added.</p><p>“Seems wise,” said Daniel.</p><p>“Man, I hope Thor’s got a sense of humor,” O’Neill muttered.</p><p>“Alright.  Get packed, you leave for Area 51 day after tomorrow.  Bring some things to show off, I gather XCOM will be doing the same.  Dismissed.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, yes, I’m keeping the EU/EW invasion quiet for now, since secrecy was such a big deal for the SGC through pretty much the entirety of SG-1.  That’ll change, though, and we’ll see if the SGC can cope with it when XCOM, or at least their enemies, become common knowledge.</p><p>The Speaker seemed like the logical go-between in the initial phase of SGC/XCOM involvement.  I’ve replaced EU’s “Council of Nations” with a fictional (I think) UN subcouncil, like the UN Security Council, that specifically oversees the XCOM Project.  Behind-the-scenes, once the Council realized that XCOM had acquired something they probably shouldn’t have, there was some panicked back-and-forth between the Council and the few people in the US government aware of its existence to get things ironed out.  Hence why the Spokesman calls Hammond on the “red phone,” usually reserved for direct communication with the President of the United States, or similarly important people.  The Spokesman got the number because someone decided it was important enough to not only put him in direct touch with General Hammond, but to do so in such a way that he basically had no option than to sit up and take notice.</p><p>The events of this story replace SG-1 episode 407 “Watergate,” with XCOM finding the Stargate instead of the Russians (or the Russians finding it and deciding to hand it over to XCOM, along with the Giza DHD).  As to what XCOM was doing that locked the SGC ‘Gate out for the full 38 minutes. . . well, I think I’ll let Dr. Vahlen explain that one next time.</p><p>The XCOM base is located in South America for the "We Have Ways" continent bonus.  That will be important to the story in the future.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. And Another Thing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which SG-1 and XCOM first meet and talk. . . and talk. . . and talk. . .</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Area 51</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada</b>
</p><p>
  <b>August, 2000</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Major Paul Davis was on-hand to meet SG-1 as they disembarked their transport on the tarmac at Area 51.  “Colonel O’Neill,” he said, saluting.  “Good to see you again, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You too, Davis,” O’Neill replied, returning the salute.  “They dragged you into this kerfuffle too, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Major Davis nodded.  “I’m here as official liaison between the Pentagon, the UN Council for Planetary Defense, the XCOM Project, and SGC.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that sounds. . . stressful,” Daniel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been reading reports for three days straight.  Once we’re done here, I plan to sleep for two.  If you’ll follow me, the XCOM delegation is already set up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lead away,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davis led them into one of the large hangers which had been cleared specifically for this purpose.  Some long tables had already been set up, and the XCOM folks had already set out a few things on them, though one table was covered by a white sheet.  A large monitor screen had been set up near the tables, with a few folding chairs set before it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter and Daniel both carried satchels which contained their laptops, chalk full of what they considered absolutely fascinating stuff they’d learned from various offworld expeditions.  Teal’c carried a large box containing what O’Neill considered absolutely fascinating stuff obtained from various offworld expeditions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the two contingents neared, Davis turned to address both of them.  “Alright, I’ll start the introductions.  From XCOM, we have Central Officer Bradford.”  He motioned to a young-looking man in a green sweater, with the black-and-gold shield-shaped X emblem embroidered on the breast.  “He’s their chief logistics, strategy, and tactical officer.  Dr. Raymond Shen, their chief engineer.”  The old, balding Asian man with a green windbreaker over a dress shirt and tie nodded.  “Dr. Moira Vahlen, their chief scientist.”  Vahlen was attractive in a severe sort of way, wearing a white lab coat with green trim, carrying some kind of thick clipboard in the crook of her arm.  “And Carlos Torres, one of XCOM’s top soldiers.”  A thickly-built Hispanic man with short, black hair and a trim mustache, he wore dark blue coveralls instead of the green XCOM seemed to favor.  Under the XCOM emblem on his chest, there was a small diamond patch with a clenched fist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From the SGC, we have their top operations team, SG-1.  Colonel Jack O’Neill, their leader, Major Samantha Carter, PhD Astrophysics, O’Neill’s XO and the team scientist, Dr. Daniel Jackson, PhD Archaeology, linguist and alien cultural expert, and Teal’c, Jaffa, former First Prime of Goa’uld System Lord Apophis.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An alien,” Dr. Vahlen said breathlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jury’s out,” O’Neill replied icily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indications are the Jaffa are humans who were genetically manipulated by the Goa’uld to be their soldier-slaves,” Davis said, sensing the budding argument and moving to cut it off.  “I’m sure SG-1 will get into more detail about that as we start sharing data about our respective enemies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Vahlen said, nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, so we’re all on the same page, I want to go over exactly what led up this meeting, and what we’re expected to accomplish here today.  A few weeks ago, SG-1 was called up to help one of our offworld allies.  His ship came to Earth orbit in distress, and he used matter transportation technology to beam Colonel O’Neill up to the ship to help.  The rest of SG-1 soon followed, and they began to render assistance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, offworld allies?  There are </span>
  <em>
    <span>friendly</span>
  </em>
  <span> aliens out there?” Bradford asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A few,” O’Neill replied.  “Some right bastards, but some cool beans.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are these allies?” Vahlen asked.  “Can they be of assistance in our fight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re called the—” Davis began.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s classified,” O’Neill interrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me, Colonel?” Davis asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You heard me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel, we’re here to cooperate with these people,” Davis said, turning to face O’Neill directly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m here, I’m cooperating.  But there’s a few things about our operation, and our allies, that I think we should keep to ourselves until we all know each other better.”  He turned to look at Bradford.  “I’m sure there’s some things you aren’t quite ready to tell us about what you’ve got going on yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Colonel raises an excellent point,” Vahlen said.  “I withdraw the question.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See?  Cooperation,” Jack said triumphantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davis sighed.  This was going to be a long day.  “Anyway, the A – allied ship was in distress because their own enemy had boarded it, and SG-1 was trying to fight them off.  During the course of this operation, they were left stranded on the ship, unable to use the outbound transporters, which had been disabled to contain the enemy.  SG-1 prepared to crash the allied ship to destroy the enemy, and used the inbound transporters to beam our Stargate, the Alpha ‘Gate, to the ship, which they used to escape.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?” Dr. Vahlen asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter began to explain.  “The ‘Gate network uses identifying addresses to connect to Stargates across the galaxy, and sometimes beyond.  Combined with a Point-Of-Origin symbol, which tells the ‘Gate where it is, it connects a stable wormhole between two Stargates, allowing travel.  A ship in orbit of a planet in the ‘Gate network is close enough to use that planet as a Point-Of-Origin, connecting to another ‘Gate as normal.  We simply went to a planet we knew would be safe to camp out on for a little while, while we waited for the SGC to get the Beta ‘Gate up and running.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is the part that confused me when this all started,” Bradford said.  “There are </span>
  <em>
    <span>two</span>
  </em>
  <span> Stargates on Earth?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Carter replied.  “The first was uncovered in Giza in 1928, the second we found in Antarctica in a. . . well, a really uncomfortable accident.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a long, chilly story,” Jack added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can send you the mission file,” Davis said.  “So, while SG-1 waited nearly a week for the SGC to get the Beta Gate up and running, XCOM retrieved the Alpha Gate from the ocean floor—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, it wasn’t us,” Bradford interrupted.  “We don’t have any submarines, or any naval assets at all, since the aliens don’t appear to know how to swim.  Thank God.  A Russian submarine recovered the – Stargate, you call it – and gave it to us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hardly ‘gave.’” Shen snorted.  “We had to trade them ten nanofiber vests and fifteen arc throwers for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it came with the control mechanism,” Vahlen added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The DHD?  The Russians had the DHD?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this ‘DHD?’” Vahlen asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The control mechanism for the Stargate, we call it the ‘Dial Home Device.’  Kind of a round pedestal with 39 glyph buttons on a double ring and a big red button in the middle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that’s it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did the Russians have a DHD?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They must have recovered the one from Giza, the one buried with the Alpha Gate,” Daniel surmised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not exactly,” Vahlen replied.  “From what they told us, they actually recovered it from the Nazis after World War II.  I’m not sure what they may have done with it in the meantime, but when they recovered the – Stargate – they sent both items to us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, why do you people keep hesitating when you say ‘Stargate?’” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen and Shen looked at each other.  “We came up with a different name for it,” Shen said.  “We thought it was some kind of tech the invaders used that we hadn’t seen before, which is why we fired it up as soon as we figured out how.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you call it?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From studying the device, I could determine it was designed to store a great deal of energy, and then release it all at once.  I wasn’t certain to what end, but it’s function did not appear to be that of a weapon,” Vahlen said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what did you call it?” Daniel asked again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was also clear the device came in two parts, one to control and provide power to the other, but both linked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, for crying out loud, what did you call it?” Jack asked testily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Dual-Phase Hyperenergy Transformer Ring Apparatus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen blushed and looked down.  Shen stroked his forehead, shaking his head.  Bradford spread his arms.  “Don’t look at me, I didn’t come up with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack shook his head.  “Yeah.  We’re gonna stick with ‘Stargate,’ if everyone’s okay with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Vahlen nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Major Davis said, perhaps a little more forcefully than he’d intended.  “After the Russians recovered the Stargate and sent it and the DHD to XCOM, Drs. Vahlen and Shen set it up and turned it on—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you do that, by the way?” Carter asked.  “You didn’t have any ‘Gate addresses to dial.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, we did,” Vahlen said.  “Also supplied by the Russians.  They had recovered it with the DHD.  At first, we assumed it might be a security code or activation sequence, but when the device just created a glowing puddle and did nothing else, we pursued other avenues of investigation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shen nodded.  “We sent a SHIV – that’s a SuperHeavy Infantry Vehicle, we’ll show you those later – through, and realized it was a transporter device.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again, Vahlen blushed.  “At which point I began referring to it as the ‘Ring Transporter.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s okay,” Jack replied.  “But there’s already something called that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Colonel, you are skilled at mockery.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, he’s actually serious this time,” Daniel replied.  “The Goa’uld have something unrelated to the Stargate that we call a Ring Transporter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford shook his head.  “Once we got confirmation from the SHIV that there was something on the other side, we sent a squad through.  They started taking fire, and fought back.  Afterwards, we realized the ‘Gate could only stay open for 38 minutes, because they spent that long bringing alien bodies and weapons back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Jaffa,” Vahlen said.  “We’ve been looking into their technology and physiology, but so far, we believe they are unrelated to the invaders.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We think so, too,” Carter added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, that brings us to SG-1 trying to dial out of the SGC and being unable to—” Major Davis began.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Carter, how did that work?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it makes sense that a Stargate with a DHD connected would trump a Stargate without one, so while XCOM had their DHD attached to their ‘Gate, it was the primary ‘Gate on Earth.  Our ‘Gate was basically getting a – a busy signal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” O’Neill said, in the tone that indicated he was only pretending to understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davis sighed in frustration.  “Alright, now, once Hammond reported the ‘Gate malfunction, the Spokesman got wind of it.  As the US delegate to the UN Council for Planetary Defense, he was already aware of the Stargate Program, and proceeded to get in touch with XCOM’s Commander, who confirmed that XCOM had retrieved the Alpha Gate and was using it.  The flurry of panicked reports, deals, and counterdeals is far above my paygrade, but the US Air Force, Joint Chiefs, and President moved quickly to hammer out an accord between the SGC and XCOM so they don’t step on each other’s toes.”  He turned to the XCOM delegation.  “As you operate under the authority of the United Nations, the SGC can’t order you to hand over the Stargate or the DHD, but we would like to make it a formal request.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure the Commander will take it under advisement,” Bradford replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does this Commander of yours have a name?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Bradford replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And it is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not relevant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack blinked.  “Okay.  Tell Commander Relevant we’d very much like our Stargate back, please and thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As I said, we’ll take it under advisement.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davis turned back to SG-1.  “The UN cannot order the US Air Force to disband the SGC or cease ‘Gate operations.  So the Planetary Defense Council has hashed out the following compromise.  At a minimum, four XCOM Operatives will be assigned to the SGC and placed among existing SG teams, with a ranking officer to provide on-site command and advise General Hammond of XCOM interests in ongoing operations.  The SGC and XCOM will share technology and research through the labs here at Area 51.  Hopefully, together we’ll come up with ways to defeat all threats to this planet faster than we would alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On that note,” Shen said, smiling, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses.  “I think we should show our new friends the toys we brought.  Delta 2, if you would?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Hispanic man spoke for the first time.  “Sounds good.  Assorted sirs and doctors, if you’ll follow me?”  And he began leading them to the tables XCOM had set up.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, this one’s getting away from me.  We’re not even up to the weapons yet, let alone talking about the aliens XCOM and the SGC have encountered.  So, I’m splitting this in two parts (hopefully, only).</p><p>I’d like to thank the Spacebattles posters who reminded me about Major Davis, he was one of my favorite recurring roles in the series, so I’m a little ashamed to admit I forgot he existed.  Makes sense he’d be here to act as the middle-man for XCOM and SG-1, and it made the introductions a lot easier and a lot less awkwardly-worded than I had it in my original conception, so thank you.</p><p>I also took advantage of the presence of Major Davis to minorly “clip show” this one, in grand SG-1 tradition.  Bring everyone up to speed on what’s been going on, and fill in a few more gaps regarding the major headscratcher of why Hammond’s going along with this nonsense in the first place.</p><p>XCOM indeed sent three of their four top people (minus the Commander) to this meeting.  Guess the Commander’s holding down the fort on his/her own at the moment.  And yes, I didn’t name the Commander, and I’m not going to.  Just like in the game, the Commander is whoever you want him or her to be, whether that’s an exceptionally competent Four Star Badass, a brilliant tactical and strategic mind, or someone’s fussy mum.  The fourth member of the XCOM delegation is Delta 2, the Argentinian Heavy, the sole survivor of the ill-fated tutorial mission in EU.  I’ll be using existing EU characters where and when I can, so you’ll see such familiar faces cropping up (and I’m looking forward to the speculation about who the SGC XCOM Commander will be, evil laugh, evil laugh).</p><p>Davis getting interrupted turned into kind of a running gag here, so I ran with it.  Poor guy’s just trying to get his briefing out, but everyone keeps asking all these important questions.  And not so important questions.  And then you have Jack, who just insists on being Jack.  But, we’re all up to speed now, at least.</p><p>The Beta Gate was first found in episode 1.18 “Solitudes”, where Jaffa weapons fire hitting the Stargate overloaded it caused the wormhole to “jump” to the nearest ‘Gate, which happened to be the one in Antarctica.  Funnily enough, Carter declares that she and O’Neill ended up on “an ice planet,” nicely subverting Single Biome Planet.  In the series, the Beta Gate would be used by the SGC from “Small Victories” through episode 6.02 “Redemption”, when that Stargate was destroyed by an Ancient weapon Anubis recovered.  Though this wasn’t reflected in the show, which would sometimes show the Beta Gate using the Earth PoO symbol, as only one spinning Gate prop was made.  Speaking of PoOs, the actual DHD prop only had 38 keys in its double ring, but a few episodes (like “Solitudes”) show the world’s PoO symbol as a key on the DHD.  I choose to believe the DHD actually has 39 keys, with the Big Red Button as a kind of “send” key, telling the Stargate “I’m done dialing, connect the wormhole,” though some interpret it as 38 keys for the address, and Big Red Button is the PoO symbol for that Gate, since each one is unique.</p><p>Next time:  Big, Honkin’ Space Guns!  Well, sort of.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Lasers, Guns, And Naquadah</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>And.  They're.  Still.  Talking!  About guns, now.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Area 51</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada</b>
</p><p>
  <b>August, 2000</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Lieutenant “Delta 2” Torres led the group over to the two tables XCOM had set up, one covered with a white sheet, the other held several ballistic weapons of unfamiliar design.  “For the last six months, these are what we’ve been fighting with,” Delta 2 said, picking up the first weapon in the row, an unfamiliar-looking assault rifle.  He double checked there was no magazine, then racked the bolt three times to ensure the weapon was empty.  “The X-9A Assault Rifle.  Latest in composites and polymers makes for a tough, light, reliable weapon.  Carries a thirty-round magazine of 10mm rounds, with a tungsten penetrator jacket and an explosive core.  Drills into the enemy for one-fiftieth of a second before detonating.  Fires three-round bursts, and has an effective range of 150 meters.  Officially.”  Bradford frowned, but Torres kept going.  “Unofficially, you can’t hit anything past 30 meters because the sights are for shit, and even within that range muzzle climb is a brutal bitch.  The burst-only setting means if you don’t drop your target with one burst you might not get a second, and if you get off more than five consecutive bursts without a jam you must have a god who loves you.  But if you drill a Sectoid or Thin Man center-mass, you’ve got a better than 50/50 shot at putting him down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Setting down the rifle, Delta 2 picked up a robust-looking shotgun.  “X-10S Shotgun.  Semi-auto or pump action, five found external magazine, fires ten-gauge tungsten buckshot.  Semi-auto jams every other shot so we never use it, and past ten meters you can’t hit the broad side of a barn if you’re standing in it, but within that range, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> turn anything you shoot it at into hamburger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where did they find this guy?” O’Neill muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Argentina,” Daniel replied helpfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> tell?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Partly the accent, mostly because that’s the Argentinian flag,” Daniel noted, pointing at the flag embroidered on the back of Delta 2’s jumpsuit, just below his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Show-off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Next, he picked up a huge rifle that looked like the Barret Light Fifty’s mutant cousin.  “X-11LR sniper rifle.  Five-round external mag, bolt-action, same bullet spec as the assault rifle, tungsten penetrator with explosive core, but chambered for .50 caliber.  It’ll punch a hole in the tank </span>
  <em>
    <span>behind</span>
  </em>
  <span> the tank you just punched a hole in.  Scope goes up to x100 magnification, and with a steady hand, you can hit a target up to two miles away.  The scope won’t go lower than x5, so if the enemy is within twenty meters you’re better off trying to throw the damn thing at them.  But catch something in the crosshairs at range, pull the trigger, and it simply won’t be there anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Delta 2 grinned as he put down the rifle, and picked up the last weapon on the table.  “And my personal favorite, the X-12LMG Light Machine Gun.  Same bullet spec as the rifles chambered in .30 cal, 200-round ammo box with a fire rate of 1,000 rounds per minute.  Which means if you don’t watch your trigger discipline, you’ll be dry firing before you can say ‘Oh, crap.’  The recoil compensator’s a joke, so you’ve got the exact same problem as the shotgun, but get an enemy close enough, point this in their general direction, pull the trigger, and—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, hamburger?” Daniel asked awkwardly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres grinned.  “Salsa.  And not the good, chunky kind either.  I’m talking the watery, mass-market commercial crap.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Appetizing,” O’Neill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Teal’c added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carter, what’s with all the tungsten?” O’Neill asked as Torres put the machine gun back on the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> one of the hardest terrestrial metals known, sir,” Carter replied.  “In the right composition, it could make for ideal penetration. . . but the structural reinforcement on the barrels must be insane to handle firing material like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is,” Dr. Shen supplied, overhearing them.  “The barrels are twice as thick as normal and specially hardened, and rigorously inspected every week and replaced if they show any indication of wear or warping.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, this all seems. . . excessive,” Daniel stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These?” Torres asked, motioning to the table of guns.  “These are pea-shooters.  They do alright against Sectoids and Thin Men, but you start hitting Floaters, or God forbid more of those Chryssalid bastards, and they just won’t cut it.”  He smiled widely.  “So the lovely Dr. Vahlen and the amazing Dr. Shen made us these bad boys.”  He whipped the cloth off the second table.  O’Neill whistled.  Carter’s eyes widened.  Daniel squinted.  Teal’c raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Humanity’s first directed-energy weapons.  Good old human know-how and alien materials gave us fricken laser beams.”  Torres picked up the first weapon.  “The L1-P laser pistol.  Half again as powerful as our old .45 caliber sidearms, we don’t even bother carrying those anymore.  Six shots on a battery, but a great backup if you need it.”  Setting it down, it picked up the next weapon.  “The L1-A Laser Rifle.  Five shots on a battery, but the batteries are light and small so we can carry a ton of them, reloading’s no more complicated than reloading or clearing a jam on the X-9, and burst fire is compensated for by a longer laser cycle than the pistol, so in practice, ammo efficiency’s about as good as the assault rifle, and this baby hits way harder.  It </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> take down a Sectoid or Thin Man in one shot, no questions asked, and put the serious hurt on anything else it doesn’t take down.  The flat trajectory of a laser beam is an adjustment if you’re used to bullet drop and muzzle climb, but once you get used to it, you have a personal guarantee from Albert Einstein himself that you </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> hit what you aim at. . . if you aimed right in the first place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s Einstein got to do with this?” O’Neill muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bad and not entirely accurate physics joke, sir,” Carter replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres continued down the line.  “Next up, the L1-S Scatter Laser.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m particularly proud of this one,” Shen beamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s because you broke the laws of physics to make it,” Vahlen replied scornfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only bent, Doctor.  Lieutenant, if I may?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be my guest, Dr. Shen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shen took the Scatter Laser from Torres.  “The same laser generator as in the rifle is located here,” he said, pointing just over the handle and trigger assembly.  “Then the beam moves into a pumping chamber here,” he pointed to a narrow section just forward.  “The beam is then split through a series of prisms here, before entering a second pumping stage, and finally emerging here as a cone of distinct laser beams, replicating the effect of scattered shotgun pellets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter’s jaw dropped.  “You made a laser </span>
  <em>
    <span>shotgun</span>
  </em>
  <span>?  That’s. . . insane.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seemed weird to me when I first heard of it, but when I saw one burn a Floater to just arms and a head, I was sold,” Torres replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pumping, huh?” O’Neill asked.  “Is that why it’s a pump-action laser shotgun?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter resisted the urge to cradle her forehead.  “That’s not what laser pumping is, sir.  Remotely.  At all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, the pump action is actually part of the cooling system,” Shen replied.  “Hot air is forcefully expelled from the system, letting cooler air enter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres picked up the next weapon.  “The L1-R Laser Sniper Rifle.  Burns narrower and hotter than the L1-A, same scope issues as the X-11, but with no bullet drop, you can hit someone clear on the horizon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not exactly,” Vahlen chimed in.  “Atmospheric diffraction does weaken the beam, but my calculations indicate it retains lethal force out to at least five miles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the material hasn’t been found it can’t burn through,” Torres added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Again, not entirely accurate.  Alien alloys of a thickness greater than ten centimeters would stop the beam almost completely, though there would be secondary heat transfer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Earth material hasn’t been found it can’t burn through,” Torres amended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Correct.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And last but not least, the L1-H Heavy Laser.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> insane,” Carter cried.  “A laser </span>
  <em>
    <span>gattling gun?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Shen replied, smiling.  “The original gattling guns were made to overcome the problem of barrels overheating and warping during prolonged, fully-automatic firing.  In this case, the point is the same.  A sophisticated actuator system rotates the barrels, allowing for much longer continuous laser beam while protecting the integrity of weapon’s emitters and components from high levels of waste heat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You could slice a tank in two with this puppy,” Torres said happily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great!”  O’Neill replied.  “We’ll take thirty of everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen shuffled her feet awkwardly.  “Sadly, while the principles for creating functional laser weapons have been well understood for years, we have lacked the materials to create them until we began recovering them from the invaders.  Without their extremely strong alloys and elerium power sources, these designs would have remained entirely theoretical.  We don’t have sufficient materials to outfit all our own troops with these weapons, let alone have spares to provide.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s a bummer,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are these materials you’re talking about?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, here, I’ll show you.”  Vahlen motioned them over to the large screen that had been set up near the tables.  Taking the clipboard from under her arm, she began tapping at it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter leaned forward.  “Wait. . . is that a computer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  Experimental tablet computer with touchscreen interface.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More alien technology?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shen shook his head.  “No.  As a United Nations secret project, XCOM had access to the very latest in cutting-edge technology from around the globe before we began recovering artifacts from the aliens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen finished her input, and the screen came to life.  “This is an analysis of the alien alloys we’ve recovered, it seems to be their primary building component.  Part of it is clearly carbon, but there are two other substances in its structure that we have, as yet, been unable to identify.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can,” Carter said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pardon?” Vahlen asked, doing a double take.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter stepped up to the screen.  “Well, this compound here is a metal we call trinium.  Very rare, but extremely light and many times stronger than steel.  And this one here is naquadah, the material the Stargate is made from, and the basic building block of pretty much all the advanced alien technology we’ve come across so far.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naquadah,” Vahlen repeated.  “If I recall from the reports I’ve read, you’ve had some very promising results in using that as an abundant, clean energy source, have you not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve built a few naquadah reactors capable of amazing energy output, yes,” Carter replied.  O’Neill’s eyes began to glaze over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm.  And yet, you say this naquadah is also a component in this remarkably strong alien alloy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naquadah is very robust, partly due to its ability to channel and store energy.  The Stargates made from it are practically indestructible, and if my calculations are correct, throwing enough energy at a Stargate to destroy it would result in it exploding with enough force to crack a planet in half.  Naquadah also functions as an energy amplifier like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fascinating,” Vahlen said, flicking the screen to another image.  “Do you recognize this at all?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter leaned in, studying the new set of molecular diagrams that had appeared on the monitor.  Jack wandered over to the laser weapons, reached for one, only to have his hand slapped by Torres.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter frowned, then hustled over to her satchel and pulled out her laptop.  Booting it up, she cast a brief but envious glance at Vahlen’s tablet before pulling up the file she wanted.  Setting the laptop on the table next to the large screen, she started comparing the two images.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fascinating,” Dr. Vahlen replied.  “This is Elerium, the power source for all of our aliens’ technology.  And it is clearly—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Closely related to naquadah, the power source of all of </span>
  <em>
    <span>our</span>
  </em>
  <span> aliens’ technology.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Learn something, Carter?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so, sir.  It looks like the invaders XCOM are dealing with are using some kind of naquadah variant we haven’t seen before.  Dr. Vahlen, are these power output figures correct?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow.  This Elerium puts out far greater levels of energy than even weapons-grade naquadah.  How much Elerium do your laser weapon batteries have in them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“2.2 centigrams,” Shen replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As I said, we do not have much of the material to work with,” Vahlen added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that powers your laser rifle for five shots,” Carter said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  We decided to make it easier for the troops to carry extra charges, rather than make a rifle hold as many as possible, but be useless when it ran dry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I can fix that,” Carter said happily.  “Teal’c, can you fetch the box?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teal’c inclined his head toward Carter, and fetched the box SG-1 had brought.  He set it on the table near the lasers, and Carter popped it open.  “Here,” she said, drawing a small, glowing vial from within.  “This is the liquid naquadah power core of a Goa’uld Staff Weapon.  Teal’c, how often do you need to reload those?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do not,” Teal’c replied.  “A single staff weapon will fire many thousand shots before becoming depleted, at which point the Jaffa will return it to his god to have the power within replenished.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Many thousand,” Vahlen said breathlessly.  “What’s the energy storage density of a vial like this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack knew just enough to know that whatever Carter replied with, it worked out to be a very, very big number.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With these, we could make laser weapons that would fire at least a thousand shots on a full charge,” Shen said, amazed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And with sufficient power generation, recharging them after every mission would be simple,” Carter added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford looked at the vial curiously.  “How many of these do you have?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not many,” Carter replied, frowning.  “We haven’t made capturing enemy weapons a priority.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“XCOM would like to officially request an immediate change to that policy,” Bradford stated.  “You get us enough of these—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And this trinium and naquadah for the alien alloy,” Vahlen added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we’ll provide you all the laser weapons we can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like you, Bradford,” O’Neill declared.  “You’ve got yourself a deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll begin drawing up schematics for our second generation of laser weapons as soon as we return,” Shen said.  “If you’ll supply us with what you know of these Staff Weapons, Major Carter, we’ll begin extracting the power sources from the ones we obtained for testing purposes, and limited fabrication.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Soon as I get back to the SGC,” Carter promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got any other goodies in there?” Torres asked, pointing to the box.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do we ever,” O’Neill said.  He reached in, and pulled out a strange-looking item, shaped like a coiled serpent.  “This is a Goa’uld Zat Gun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zat’nik’tel,” Teal’c stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, a Zat Gun.  One shot knocks a guy out, two kills him right dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter elaborated.  “The weapon releases an electric discharge along an ionized path, which disrupts the central nervous system.  Depending on the individual, it can cause pain, convulsions, or unconsciousness.  Residual energy stays in the victim’s nervous system for approximately ten minutes before dissipating, during which a second shot disrupts it even further, resulting in death.  However, if you’re quick enough on the trigger, you can fire a ‘long shot’ that has an increased ability to render the subject unconscious, but still only counts as one shot, so won’t kill.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s the range?” Torres asked, suddenly very interested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least as good as a standard pistol,” O’Neill stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great!  We’ll take thirty,” Torres replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen cleared her throat.  “We’ve recently developed an Arc Thrower, which operates on a similar principle, to attempt to capture aliens alive in the field.  It has a very limited range—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Won’t shoot past four meters, and has a better than 50/50 chance at not doing a damn thing,” Torres snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—And has a few other limitations,” Vahlen finished.  “We would be most interested in acquiring these weapons from you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, </span>
  <em>
    <span>these</span>
  </em>
  <span> we take from the Goa’uld by the bucketful.  You can have this one,” O’Neill replied, patting the box.  “There’s six of them in here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’ll be a great help to the troops, Colonel,” Bradford said.  “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remember us when you get more of those lasers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The meeting continued for several hours, as the SGC and XCOM people shared their information on their respective enemies and their technologies, O’Neill’s attention waxing and waning as the discussion moved into and out of weapons technologies, and waxing again as they went over the strengths and weakness of the Goa’uld and Jaffa, as well as the Sectoids, Thin Men, Floaters, and sole Chryssalid so far encountered by XCOM.  By the end, they had a solid working agreement to take back to their respective superiors for approval.  The scientists and engineers at Area 51 began setting up work on the new equipment that would result from this partnership.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the way back to the SGC, Carter stated she was certain the alien alloy XCOM had discovered was identical to the alloy Thor had told her the Asgard had recently developed for their </span>
  <em>
    <span>O’Neill</span>
  </em>
  <span>-class cruisers.  If they could get in touch with Thor again soon, he might even be able to provide the recipe.  If not, Sam was confident that between herself, the rest of the SGC, Area 51, and XCOM, they’d be able to figure it out.  All they needed now were steady supplies of naquadah and trinium.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, again, this is getting out of hand, and I still have at least one more “meet-and-greet” chapter before I get into some alien butt-kicking.  So I decided to violate “show-don’t-tell” and just gloss over the descriptions of the various aliens, because honestly, if you’re reading this fic, you probably already know what they look like.</p><p>So now you see what the SGC brings to the table in all this.  As some Spacebattlers pointed out, XCOM’s mission is defensive.  They notice an alien incursion, show up to stop it, and then run off with anything not nailed down and anything they can pry loose is not nailed down.  Their only source of research and fabrication materials is what they get from the battlefield after they win against the aliens.  The SGC is actually going out into the galaxy to see what’s there, so they have a wide breadth of knowledge about what alien technology is, and what it needs to work.  They know about naquadah as the building block of basically all advanced technology, they know about trinium (from episode 2.13 “Spirits”), and Thor mentioned that new alloy of trinium, naquadah, and carbon was what the Asgard used for the hull of their most advanced ship, the first of the O’Neill-class.  It made sense to me that the Etherals’ “alien alloy” would be the exact same material.  So, if the SGC has access to trinium and naquadah from offworld, and carbon isn’t exactly hard to come by, then perhaps Earth can start making its own “alien alloys. . .”</p><p>As for weapons, I kinda made up the stats for everything because they sounded good, based loosely on what they perform like in the game.  The ammo levels for the laser weapons are truly anemic (for gameplay reasons), so I rationalized it that XCOM has to work with truly miniscule amounts of Elerium in their weapons programs.  Compared to even a battery-sized amount of liquid naquadah, which can power Teal’c staff weapon for what seems to be forever (seriously, have you EVER seen a Jaffa run out of ammo?) the XCOM laser weapon batteries are nothing.  So, with liquid naquadah power cores, XCOM can make laser weapons that, for most practical purposes, have unlimited ammo.  Because it’s not like reloading or running out of actual magazines has really been an issue in any of SG-1’s firefights, and XCOM troops apparently store extra mags for their ballistic weapons in Hammerspace.</p><p>And I apologize, but I just had to give Shen grief over the Scatter Laser.  A laser shotgun is patently ridiculous, awesome though it is in-game, so I just had to be a little tongue-in-cheek about it.  TvTropes in the Wild Mass Guessing section suggested that the Scatter Lasers are “pumped” like a pump-action shotgun to cool the system, with a possibly tongue-in-cheek suggestion that it’s a play or pun on laser pumping, so I decided to kind of incorporate both ideas.  If my science doesn’t hold up, well. . . it’s a frelling laser shotgun, what do you want from me?</p><p>Another really appalling state of affairs in EU, also likely for game balance, is the difficulty of using the Arc Thrower to capture live aliens.  The Zat is the ideal solution to this problem.  Might still need to “soften up” an X-Ray first, as for the Arc Thrower, to reliably knock them out with one, but you at least don’t have to get up in their face to shoot the darn things.  In the Stargate:  SG-1 Roleplaying Game by AEG, based on a heavily modified D20 system, the various burst feats could be used with a Zat to improve the chances of its special takedown rule knocking a combatant unconscious, so I decided to toss that in there.</p><p>O’Neill wandering over to look at the lasers and getting his hand slapped just seemed like the kind of Funny Background Event Richard Dean Anderson would improv on-set.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Operation Triple Play</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>XCOM arrives at the SGC, Hilarity Ensues.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Stargate Command</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, USA</b>
</p><p>
  <b>August, 2000</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>SG-1 returned through the Stargate to the oddly comforting sight of a lot of people pointing guns at them.  Standard policy for offworld activations, even with an appropriate GDO code, since you never knew what might be coming with.  General Hammond was waiting at the bottom of the ramp to meet them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome back, SG-1,” Hammond said.  “Wait, where’s Dr. Jackson?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He left for P3X-888 from Cimmeria,” Carter replied.  “Dr. Rothman wants his help with the excavation there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond nodded.  “Were you successful?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We got his answering machine,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beg pardon?” Hammond asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Asgard teacher Thor left behind said we could use the Hall of Thor’s Might to get in touch with him, but he wasn’t answering the phone.  ‘My apologies, O’Neill, but the war against the Replicators requires my full attention.  Please briefly describe your issue, and I will be in touch with you as soon as I am able.  BEEP!’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There was no beep,” Teal’c corrected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There should have been!” O’Neill stated.  “How was I supposed to know when to start talking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think Thor’s hologram blinked,” Carter supplied helpfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m glad you’re all back,” Hammond said, knowing if he didn’t refocus their attention they’d be at it all day.  Sometimes they were worse than his grandkids.  “I was hoping you’d arrive before now, actually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something wrong, sir?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s just say your timing, as ever, is impeccable,” Hammond replied.  “Our new XCOM contingent just arrived at the main gate.  They’ll be here in ten minutes.  Stow your gear, get changed, and meet me in the briefing room as soon as you can, I’ll want you around when they arrive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, glorious day,” O’Neill said, heading out of the Gate Room.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Nine and a half minutes later, three-quarters of SG-1 stood with General Hammond in the briefing room as the XCOM troops entered.  Leading them was a broad-shouldered Asian man, with short greying hair, a thin goatee, and a wicked scar on the right side of his face.  All the XCOM soldiers wore the same style jumpsuit, though in varying colors, and this man’s was a dark blue, with the same clenched-fist-in-diamond symbol below the XCOM badge that Torres had worn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping into the room, the five other XCOM soldiers following, he nodded to General Hammond.  “Hello,” he said in lightly accented but excellent English.  “General Hammond and SG-1, I presume.  It is an honor to meet you.  I am Colonel Shaojie Zhang, here to act as liaison and on-site Commander for the XCOM troops stationed here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pleased to meet you, as well,” Hammond replied.  “This is Colonel Jack O’Neill, Major Samantha Carter, and Teal’c.  Dr. Daniel Jackson, the fourth member of SG-1, is currently offworld assisting another team.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And these are the Operatives XCOM has assigned to the SGC.  Lieutenants Kazuko Yamada, Marc Moreau, Claudia Ulrich, Paul Jackson, and Shauna Kelly.”  Moreau was a large black man who wore the same dark blue jumpsuit with the same fist icon as Zhang, Yamada was a slender Japanese woman in a dark red jumpsuit whose diamond patch contained a pair of feathered wings, Jackson was a blonde, bearded Englishman with the same uniform as Yamada, Ulrich was a blond, muscular German woman in black whose diamond symbol held a crosshairs, and Kelly was an Irish woman with light brown hair in a dark yellow jumpsuit, the diamond patch containing a stylized Sectoid skull.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s with the ensemble?” O’Neill asked.  “Is the circus in town?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The five glares directed his direction did what, until that moment, Hammond would have sworn was impossible.  They made Colonel Jack O’Neill shut up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang cleared his throat.  “XCOM specializes its troops in combat roles for tactical flexibility.  Four basic specializations, Sniper for long range, Heavy for heavy weapons fire support, Support for flexibility, and Assault for close-quarters combat.”  He pointed to each color jumpsuit in turn.  “Black, blue, red, and yellow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not big on camouflage?” O’Neill asked, as quietly and respectfully as Hammond had ever heard him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sectoids don’t care about camo, sir,” Kelly spoke up.  “They’ll see you regardless and burn you down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, things are a mite different through the Stargate,” Hammond stated.  “But by all means, keep your own dress code on the base.  It’ll help identify you to my people, put them at their ease.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang nodded.  “Understandable, General.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t we all sit down,” Hammond asked, motioning to the table.  “Colonel Zhang, I understand you had some thoughts about where your people might be put to best use.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Commander and I did, yes,” Zhang replied.  “To begin, I believe we should place Lieutenant Kelly with SG-1.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, we’re full,” O’Neill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack, there’s no rule that says every team through the ‘Gate has to be four people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that, sir, but we’ve been doing this the longest.  She’ll slow us down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With all due respect, Colonel, I’ll be surprised if you can keep up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill blinked at Kelly, then looked at Teal’c.  “Was that crack about my age?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe it was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang leaned forward in his chair.  “From what I understand, Colonel, your team has been in the thick of most of the SGC’s encounters with both its offworld enemies and allies.  Not only should the Commander and I like to have an XCOM representative present to ensure our interests are being looked after, your team seems shy on combat ability for the situations in which you find yourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> a crack about my age?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was not,” Zhang declared.  “Rather, capable as Dr. Jackson has proven himself, he is not a trained soldier, not a military man, and has indeed expressed rather anti-military sentiments from time to time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Jack’s turn to lean forward.  “Look,” he began.  “I know that, on paper, it doesn’t look like we should have been able to pull off half the things we’ve done.  And I’d even agree that it’s been dumb luck a few times.  But the fact of the matter is, SG-1 works well together as is because we know each other.  We’ve been through an awful lot together, and whatever our differences of opinion may be, at the end of the day, that’s what helps us get the job done.  I don’t care how awesome you are or think you are, Kelly, but SG-1 is a delicate apple cart that I won’t see upset.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unfortunately, Jack, that’s not up to you,” Hammond said gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill did a double take.  “Tell me you’re not going to do this to me, George.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It does say ‘General’ on my uniform, Colonel.  And I happen to agree with Colonel Zhang.  Having an XCOM soldier right in the thick of things is the best way for them to get an accurate picture about what we’re doing here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, for—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When the time comes that we’ll have to explain a few things to these people, it’s best if they see first hand why we do things the way we do and what the benefits of our approach are.  You hearing me, Jack?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Having just come from a world protected by O’Neill’s favorite aliens, who happened to look a lot like the aliens XCOM wanted dead, Jack had no problem reading between Hammond’s lines.  “Loud and clear, sir,” he said.  “Welcome aboard,” he added to Kelly, not entirely enthusiastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aright, now that we have that settled, Colonel Zhang, where else did—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unscheduled offworld activation!” Sergeant Harriman announced as the klaxons started blaring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does this happen often?” Zhang asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too often,” O’Neill replied, as they got up to follow Hammond out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Receiving SG-11 IDC,” Harriman stated as Hammond, followed by SG-1 and, technically uninvited, the XCOM contingent, arrived in the control room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open the iris,” Hammond ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dr. Rothman staggered through ‘Gate, announcing that one of his team had been killed and Dr. Jackson had been kidnapped, apparently by an Unas.  Hammond ordered SG-1, including their newest member, to mobilize with SG-2, to which Lieutenant Yamada was hastily assigned, and rescue Daniel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The XCOM operatives had brought laser weapons with them for their own use, the L2 models hastily constructed by Dr. Shen using the liquid naquadah cores of Goa’uld Staff Weapons.  Kelly carried the L2-S Scatter Laser and Yamada the L2-A Laser Rifle as they accompanied their new teams through the ‘Gate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the other side, Kelly and Yamada shook off the effects of travelling hundreds of light years at a hop through a wormhole.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get used to it,” O’Neill said casually.  “You should have been there the first few times, though, this is nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill started the group looking for Daniel, with Teal’c tracking him and his Unas captor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, I forgot to ask before we left,” Kelly said to Major Carter.  “What’s an ‘Unas’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The original species the Goa’uld used as hosts before finding humans,” Carter replied.  “Large, tall, scaly things, very strong, very tough.  The Goa’uld symbiote provides the host with an improved ability to heal wounds, and in an Unas, they almost regenerate.  Ballistic weapons are almost incapable of stopping them without a lot of rounds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly grinned.  “Guess you’re glad I brought this, then?” she said, hefting her L2-S.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it’s as impressive as you say.  Regardless, I’m looking forward to seeing it in action.  Scientific curiosity, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For an entire day, they tracked down Dr. Jackson, but didn’t appear to be any closer to finding him before O’Neill called it quits for the day and told everyone to start making camp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long do they intend to search?” Yamada asked Kelly quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Kelly replied, failing to watch her volume as effectively as Yamada had.  “I mean, planets are big.  We could be here forever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind her, Jack O’Neill cleared his throat.  “You don’t know me, Kelly, so I’ll let that one slide.  But we don’t leave our people behind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly nodded.  “Commendable, sir, but—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lieutenant.  We don’t.  Leave our people.  Behind.  Period.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly was silent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The next words out of your mouth need to be ‘yes, sir’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>As it turned out, P3X-888 was the original homeworld not only of the Unas, but of the Goa’uld as well, which resulted in a very uncomfortable stretch of time all the members of the rescue team spent tied to trees as Teal’c, immune to being taken as a host, played a waiting game Kelly would have sworn he wasn’t smart enough pull off.  But seeing the elegant and simple, if terrifying, way Teal’c went about identifying the alien in their midst, Kelly decided she’d underestimated SG-1’s nonhuman member, and possibly his whole species.  That the plan backfired because a second host was either a little more patient or a little less strong didn’t make it any less impressive, and everyone who didn’t have a snake in their head got out alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two down,” Yamada noted as everyone got their gear back in order and prepared to continue the hunt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Takes me back,” Kelly said humorlessly.  It hadn’t been that long ago when a given XCOM deployment was a coin toss whether or not at least one person wouldn’t be coming back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, they did catch up to Dr. Jackson and the Unas, which Colonel O’Neill wouldn’t let them shoot (much to Kelly and Yamada’s dismay), though, at the end of the day, Kelly had to admit that while the Unas were ugly, they didn’t appear to be hostile.  Not friendly, but not Sectoids.  On the way back to the Stargate, Daniel tried to explain to her and Yamada that not only did he feel all life – Goa’uld being the exception – had a right to live, but that one never knew when having allies, or even just friends, would come in handy.  He prattled on about how studying and learning about new cultures, displaced human or alien, was its own reward, furthering human understanding of ourselves and the universe around us and blah blah blah.  Kelly just wondered when she’d get to shoot something.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>While SG-1 was away on P3X-888, General George Hammond and Colonel Shaojie Zhang sat in Hammond’s office, working out exactly how all this was going to work out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Commander, as well as Drs. Vahlen and Shen, would be quite grateful for any offworld technology you could acquire for us, and you would reap the benefits of aiding our research developments as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand that,” Hammond replied.  “But I’ll say it again:  we’re not looters.  We’re not going to steal technology from our allies, or even our potential allies.  Now, I can order my teams to take any Goa’uld weapons and technology they come across in their normal missions, but I am not putting my people in harm’s way for a few extra trinkets.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your people are already in harm’s way, they just don’t know it,” Zhang replied.  “The invaders are attacking all over the planet.  Humanity faces a great foe, and it will require all of us pulling together to defeat it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The men and women of this command have defeated threats to this world before without compromising our principles,” Hammond retorted.  “And we will continue to do so.  So long as I am in command here, the SGC will be run in accordance with moral principles of the United States Air Force and its government.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do not understand the threat we all face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right, I don’t.  And the time may well come when I admit you were right, and regret not doing things your way.  But for right now, I believe we’re better off doing things the way we always have been.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if, when you finally come around to my way of thinking, it is too late for the human race?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, I’ll regret not listening to you earlier.  But let me ask you a question.  What if, in resorting to any means necessary to defeat these invaders, we end up becoming just like them?  Is it worth saving humanity if we destroy what’s worth saving?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Hammond’s surprise, Zhang actually smiled.  “You are a true warrior-poet, General Hammond.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond chuckled.  “Naw,” he drawled.  “I’m just Texan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaojie nodded.  “Very well.  No increases in dedicated combat missions against the Goa’uld, negotiation and diplomacy instead of ‘looting’.  We will do things your way, General.  Please note, however, that I have the backing of XCOM, which has the backing of the UN.  While I will try not to step on your toes, if I have to put my foot down, I hope that you will respect it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you can convince me you’ve got a good reason for wanting to do something, my people and I will make it happen.  That’s a guarantee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, as they say, this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s hope so.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, yeah, I kinda rushed through P3X-888, just because I wanted to establish episode 4.08 “The First Ones” still happened, since it’s fairly important to the series as a whole.</p><p>But hey, we finally meet the SGC’s XCOM Commander, and it’s everyone’s favorite Chinese-Triad-Turned-XCOM-Soldier!  Talk about your overly-narrow superlatives.  Zhang seemed the logical choice for the role, since his. . . shall we say, breadth of life experience gives him a leg up over most XCOM soldiers for this kind of a position.  I also very much got the impression that he’s a thoughtful, soft-spoken, philosophical man, meaning he’ll be more considerate of Hammond’s way of doing things.  But he is absolutely not afraid to do very bad things if it means protecting Earth.  Fun times.</p><p>We also have another popular XCOM character, sort of.  In a kind of inverted Legacy Character, Shauna Kelly will be the mother of Jane Kelly of XCOM2 fame.  I’ve cast her as an EU Assault, to match Jane’s XCOM2 Ranger.  Attached now to SG-1, she’ll be one of the main XCOM characters going forward.  And yes, I color-code my EU soldiers by class, so in this crossover, XCOM does, as well.  They wear little badges with the class symbols on them, but also dress in the appropriate color, because. . . well, because the Commander said to.</p><p>XCOM retrieved enough Staff Weapons that they can make some of the new “infinite ammo” Laser Rifles, which they’ve sent with their troops to the SGC.  Partly for easier logistics, partly to show the SGC the value of lasers and convince them to be a bit more aggressive in getting more power cells.  Zhang was pushing Hammond to have SG teams actually going to engage Jaffa forces to get more of them, but Hammond exemplifies the A Father To His Men trope, and was having none of it.  We’ll see if there are enough “normal” firefights to fill XCOM’s desire for liquid naquadah cells, or if XCOM will just say “screw it, give us our own SG team and we’ll go get ‘em.”  Time will tell.</p><p>XCOM isn’t the gung-ho organization of crazy awesome borderline psycopaths they’re sometimes portrayed as, but there’s still a pretty stark divide between their approach and the SGC’s approach.  No One Gets Left Behind is pretty much O’Neill’s Berserk Button, while XCOM is a bit more blasé about the whole thing.  So O’Neill and Kelly clashing right off the bat was intentional to underline that point.  As the story grows, we’ll see both organizations affect each other in unforeseen ways (even to me, I expect, and I’m writing the damn thing!)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Thor, God of Mischeif</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thor explains everything.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Stargate Command</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, USA</b>
</p><p>
  <b>August, 2000</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, in the end, the Gadmeer agreed to take the Enkarans back to their old homeworld, pausing the planet-scorching—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Terraforming, Jack,” Daniel corrected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever, then come back and finish up once they weren’t going to kill anyone.  Then Enkarans adopted Lotan, and we all get a big, fat happy ending.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what of Gadmeer technology?” Zhang asked.  “This ship and its terraforming process sound extremely advanced.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “From what I could gather, it is.  Unfortunately, it’ll be several years before the terraforming process is complete, the world seeded with new life-forms, and the Gadmeer themselves are – reborn.  But we should definitely check in from time to time, they appear to be a fascinating people, we could learn a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we’re all still here in several years,” Zhang replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Things going badly for XCOM?” Hammond asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stable, for now.  Your Zat guns are proving far more effective than our Arc Throwers for live captures, and Dr. Vahlen has successfully interrogated several aliens.  But I can’t help feel that the other shoe is about to drop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well then, you’ll be pleased to hear SG-3 and SG-7 had run-ins with some Jaffa on their last missions,” Hammond replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They collected 17 Staff Weapons, we’re stripping out the power cores now.  I’d like to keep two of them here, and send two to Area 51 for research.  I think we can figure out how to refine liquid naquadah ourselves with—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A loud hum and a brilliant flash interrupted Carter and sent Zhang and Kelly shooting to their feet, scrabbling for the sidearms they weren’t wearing.  As a familiar, short, slender grey shape appeared, Zhang picked up his chair to throw at it.  Teal’c effortlessly disarmed the large Chinese XCOM Colonel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Greetings, O’Neill.  My apologies for not arriving sooner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thor, buddy, you always make the best entrances.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is </span>
  <em>
    <span>that thing?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Zhang exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond scowled at him.  “That ‘thing’ is Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet and one our best allies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why does he look like a Sectoid?” Kelly asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The question would more appropriately be, why do your Sectoids look like us,” Thor replied.  “I came as soon as I could after receiving your message, O’Neill.  An unknown alien race attacking Earth is cause for concern in and of itself, but your description of these Sectoids was quite alarming.  I have spent the last several minutes going over your databases regarding these creatures.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what did you find out?” Jack asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come, I will show you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another bright flash of light, and the briefing room of the SGC was empty.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Where are we?” Zhang demanded, spinning around, shaking off the disorientation of being beamed away with no preparation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My ship, the Tooth-Grinder,” Thor replied.  He had transported himself to his command chair, and was busy working the console.  “Apologies for my abruptness, but time is of the essence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah,” O’Neill replied.  “War, Replicators, we know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First, I wish to assure you that, while the Sectoids are, in some manner, Asgard, we had nothing to do with creating them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, they </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> Asgard?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, O’Neill.  Though they have been victim of extensive genetic and cybernetic alteration, their core genome is the same as ours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did that happen?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are unsure.  But we have a theory.  More of a legend, if I am to be precise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An Asgard legend?” Daniel asked with interest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  Four thousand years ago, we established a colony in this galaxy, a place for a group of our people to live and work on their own, as well as to keep an eye on what was transpiring here, should our intervention become necessary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A listening post,” Carter said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of sorts.  An early version of our neutrino-ion generators allowed the colony’s Stargate to dial the Ida galaxy to keep in contact.  Two thousand years ago, we lost contact.  When we investigated, we found signs of attack, but no Asgard dead, and the colony’s technology had been stolen.  Naturally, we assumed the Goa’uld were responsible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naturally,” O’Neill agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They denied responsibility for the attack, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did not believe them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s why I like you guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But, as the years went by, and the Goa’uld showed no signs of incorporating Asgard technology into their society, we were forced to conclude that another race was responsible, one of which we had no knowledge.  We began to search for this unknown enemy, but were soon called away by our war with the Replicators.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what does all this mean?” Zhang asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would appear that whoever attacked and destroyed our colony is now attacking Earth, using what they have made of our people as their soldiers, though why they would do this, or use our people, I do not know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’d have to ask Dr. Vahlen about that,” Zhang replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well.”  There was another flash of light, and Dr. Vahlen appeared with a German exclamation that made Daniel blush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thor, buddy, we talked about this.  Ask before beaming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My apologies, but as I said, time is short.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It can speak,” Vahlen said breathlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill cleared his throat.  “Dr. Vahlen of XCOM, meet Thor of the Asgard.  He’s here to help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is a great relief.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have been looking over the work you’ve done in analyzing the Sectoid enemy you face, Dr. Vahlen.  Your thoroughness is commendable.  I wish to ask you about these genetic sections in the Sectoid genome, as well as this series of brain implants you recovered from their bodies.”  Holographic images appeared above Thor’s console.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How. . . how did you get my research?” Vahlen asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our technology is tens of thousands of years more advanced than yours.  Your best security programs and encryption algorithms are, among my people, literal child’s play.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen cleared her throat.  “Yes, well.  These DNA-equivalent sections were definitely spliced into the genome proper later, leading to the enhanced brain and cranial development you see in the Sectoid compared to your own species.  These implants amplify brainwave signals in specific areas of the brain, resulting in the Sectoid having psionic powers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As I thought.  Thank you, Doctor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, what does that mean?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Asgard have taken a different evolutionary path from our old friends, who you call the Ancients.  While they developed the powers of their mind to the point of eventually shedding their physical form, we sought a physical immortality, the details of which are not important at this time.  Suffice to say, the potential the Ancients explored to its fullest has long since vanished from the Asgard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Daniel said.  “On Kheb we met a powerful being called Oma Desala, who seemed to exist as, as – thought or energy or something.  She made me believe I was developing psychic powers, but it was really her doing it all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be the final extension of the ability these Sectoids have been given,” Thor replied.  “Though it appears they are as psionically capable as they are ever going to be, thanks to the interference of those who created them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what would you like us to do with these Sectoids?” Vahlen asked.  “They are your people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not anymore,” Thor said coldly.  “What has been done to them is unconscionable, they have no Asgard personality or memory to them.  They are abominations, and your people have the full blessing of the Asgard to eradicate them and free them from their life of slavery.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the back of his mind, Jack had always wondered how short, spindly, soft-spoken Thor could have been seen as the boisterous, powerful warrior-god of thunder and lightning myth characterized him as.  Now he knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But another thought struck O’Neill as he processed Thor’s choice of words.  “So, </span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> have </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> permission to get rid of them?  You’re not going to do it yourself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor blinked uncomfortably.  “I’m afraid I cannot fight this war for you.  This ship is needed against the Replicators as soon as possible.  Even if it weren’t, the terms of the Protected Planets Treaty are – fuzzy, in this instance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuzzy?” O’Neill asked incredulously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Protected Planets Treaty was a compromise accord between the Asgard and the Goa’uld.  As you are aware, we lack the might to actually enforce it.  As such, we may have – overlooked some points that were considered unlikely.  An unknown aggressor race attacking a Protected Planet was one such oversight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t protect a planet from natural disasters,” Carter noted.  “A non-Goa’uld race attacking isn’t exactly natural.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nor is it necessarily unnatural.  Were we to intervene militarily, the Goa’uld may see it as a breach of the treaty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t intervene militarily, the Goa’uld may think you can’t and try and call your bluff elsewhere,” Daniel replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is another possibility.  However, I have been studying the research programs you and XCOM have been working on, and I believe you are capable of handling this emergency with minimal assistance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Minimal assistance?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor moved a stone on his console.  “I am transmitting to your Area 51 additional data.  No complete schematics for Asgard technology, but rather seeds that will improve the efficiency of your current research efforts, as well as lead you in new directions not wholly supported by the technology you have so far recovered from your invaders.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What new directions?” Vahlen asked.  “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your research proceeds rapidly, thanks to the materials you have recovered from the invaders.  But something about their tactics is troubling to me.  As advanced as their technology is, you should not be able to meet them on the field of battle with such close parity, and you should not be able to recover as much of their equipment as you have.  I am concerned that developing your technology based on theirs is exactly what they wish for you to do.  So, to borrow an Earth phrase, I am throwing a monkey wrench in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How big a monkey wrench, exactly?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not as large as you would like, O’Neill,” Thor replied.  “As I said, it is more seeds to get your researchers growing in new directions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thor, I wanted to ask you something,” Carter spoke up.  “You said the hull of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>O’Neill</span>
  </em>
  <span> used a new trinium-naquadah-carbon alloy, and it looks like the invaders are using the same thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are correct, Major Carter.  In the right proportions, blended correctly, this alloy is the strongest material the laws of physics of this universe will support.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t suppose you included the recipe?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not as such.  Though I did include engineering details that could lead you towards being able to manufacture it yourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be a job for Dr. Shen,” Vahlen replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Thor replied, and shifted another stone on his console.  Dr. Shen appeared in a flash of light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dr. Vahlen, there you are.  Bradford and the Commander are quite concerned about your sudden disappearance.  No doubt mine now, as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, Thor, you’re not helping!” O’Neill stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am helping, O’Neill.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I know, but you’re. . . can you put me up on the big hologram phone thingy you’ve got?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could do so, why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Transmit me into the XCOM base before we start World War Three, please.  Or War Of The Worlds Three, or whatever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you wish, O’Neill.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Find out what happened!” Bradford shouted into his radio headset.  “Are we under attack, or is the SGC screwing around with us? I want to know now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yoo-hoo,” a voice called from the Geoscape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford turned, looking up at Colonel O’Neill.  “What?  How—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Both excellent questions,” O’Neill said, hopping down from the giant holoprojector.  “Wow, nice place.  We have got to get one of those.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel O’Neill, how did you get in here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m not here.”  O’Neill waved his arm through Bradford’s middle.  “See?  Look, you can cancel the red alert thing, Vahlen and Shen are fine.  A buddy of mine just beamed them up to have a little chat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And your buddy didn’t think to notify us first?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill shrugged.  “He’s not long on manners, but he’s a great guy.  You’ll like him, trust me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford narrowed his eyes.  “And how do I know you’re really Jack O’Neill?  Or that you aren’t being mind-controlled or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on, Bradford.  You’ve met me.  Does this me seem like not me to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To himself, Bradford had to admit it was a valid point.  “Still, without understanding what’s going on, I can’t—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Greetings, Warriors of XCOM!” a booming voice sounded out.  Standing in the middle of the Geoscape was a tall, red-haired human in armor, holding out a large hammer.  “I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet.  Apologies for causing you alarm, but I wished to speak with your scholars, and time is short.  I shall return them to you momentarily, completely unharmed.  I am pleased to see such bravery among the people of Earth, and you have my blessing to fight the enemy at your door with all your might!  Protect your world with honor, reap glory in battle, and should you fall, ride to Valhalla with pride!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford’s jaw dropped.  “What.  The.  Fuck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get used to him,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hologram faded, and O’Neill nodded to Bradford.  “I should be off now, too.  But Shen and Vahlen are fine, they’ll be back soon, and we’ll have lots of new stuff to talk about.  Ta-ta.”  O’Neill likewise faded away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford sighed.  “Stand down red alert,” he said.  “Interceptors, stay on station for now.  Commander, this is Central.  You’d better come take a look at this.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Well, that was. . . different,” Jack said to Thor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Given XCOM’s encounters with Sectoids thus far, I felt it wise to appear to them as other than my true form,” Thor replied.  “And my apologies for cutting your discussion, but time truly is of the essence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carter was explaining to me about the alien and Asgard alloy,” Shen said.  “I would be most interested in learning more about its fabrication.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have supplied you what details I can, Dr. Shen,” Thor replied.  “Whether or not you can figure it out from there is up to you.  But I have great faith in your species, especially those who ally themselves with Colonel O’Neill.  He is a most exceptional example.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aww, thank you,” Jack replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But now, I must return you and leave.  Should you have need of me again, I will do my best to come to your aid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you could,” Vahlen asked.  “I believe Dr. Shen and I should like to go to Area 51, to begin looking at the data you have transmitted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Thor replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you send me with them?” Carter asked.  “I’d like a look, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you wish.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you drop us at Disney World?” Jack asked.  “Teal’c hasn’t been.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor blinked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“SGC’s fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be well, my friends,” Thor said, and the humans vanished from his ship in a flash of light.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, there we have it.  The explanation for Sectoids and Asgard co-existing in the shared universe.  EU makes it pretty clear the Ethereals forcibly uplift races they conquer, pushing them as far as they can genetically and cybernetically while searching for. . . something, so it seems logical the Sectoids would be the result of them doing the same thing to the Asgard.  But the Asgard are still around, so rather than conquering the Asgard as a whole (a very tall order, even for the Ethereals), they took out a small, “lost” colony.  Kind of the Asgard version of Roanoke.  It’s also likely they picked up and reverse-engineered some Asgard science, partly explaining their current level of advancement.  Doesn’t explain everything, not yet, but there’s another facet to the Ethereals that remains undiscovered for now.</p><p>I’m trying to keep this fic about the same “rating” as the shows and games, but this felt like the truly proper place for a precision F strike.  Having Thor show up to XCOM in his “god guise” made sense to me, and was just kinda fun.</p><p>We also have an answer for Ethereal and Asgard alloy being the same.  There is, indeed, a physical limit on how strong something can be, and both the Asgard and Ethereals hit that hard limit through trial-and-error blends of these three materials.  A little more trinium and it might be more brittle, and little more naquadah and it might be more ductile.  There’s a technique to it too, but blended correctly, it’s the best you can get on this plane of existence.</p><p>The Protected Planets Treaty keeps Earth from being attacked by the Goa’uld, because if they do, the Asgard will come kick their asses.  Unfortunately, the Asgard are busy with the Replicators, so they can’t actually enforce the Treaty.  It made sense to me that neither the Asgard nor the Goa’uld would have thought about another race attacking a Protected Planet.  From the Goa’uld perspective, if something else is out there conquering planets, and it takes a Protected one, then the planet almost by definition is no longer Protected (since the treaty protects the people on that world when it was signed, not whoever conquers it later).  From the Asgard perspective, they didn’t really consider it likely that there’d be intervention from another hostile species, and with the Replicators to deal with, they don’t have the ability to intervene in every interstellar war.</p><p>Thor beaming in and beaming people out without permission or warning was something of a running gag on the show, so I decided to kick it up a notch here.  Of course, XCOM is going to panic when their senior staff starts vanishing in flashes of light.</p><p>As mentioned, someone was going to point out to XCOM that their war is really going surprisingly well, considering what they’re up against (and still no sign of Mutons, though they’re close).  In this case, Thor already thinks there’s something fishy about how the Ethereals are going about their invasion.  I’m sure a lot of EU players were wondering why the aliens were ramping up the difficulty at such a deliberate pace, I know I was.  So Thor twigs to the possibility that the XCOM Project and it’s R&amp;D is exactly what the Ethereals want.  The Asgard tech “seeds” he’s giving them aren’t going to be a huge game-changer, but they are going to help.</p><p>The Gadmeer and Enkarans featured in episode 4.09 “Scorched Earth”.  We never heard from either of them again, so I can only assume the terraforming process and recreation of the Gadmeer home took longer than the remaining scope of the series.  Of course, we never learned who forced the Gadmeer away from home, either. . .</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Interlude -- Tangent</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just some character focus for Kelly.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Outside Tok’ra Base</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Vorash</b>
</p><p>
  <b>September, 2000</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Daniel fumed.  “It’s not often I agree with Jack, but in this case, the Tok’ra have really boned us yet again!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Easy, Dr. Jackson,” Kelly said.  “We’ll figure something else out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what?  What, is, is XCOM going to whip up a spaceship out of tinfoil and chewing gum to go rescue Jack and Teal’c?  You, you, you going to shoot your big laser at something and make it all better?  What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly frowned.  “Look, Daniel, I know you’re upset—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No you don’t!  This is just a mission for you, an objective, and if you fail, oh well, too bad, right?  You don’t really care if Jack and Teal’c make it back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly turned, stopped, and put her hand on Daniel’s chest to stop him, too.  “Look.  Just because I’ve gotten used to seeing good people die working with XCOM doesn’t mean I don’t care, and wouldn’t stop it if I could.  I signed on to </span>
  <em>
    <span>help</span>
  </em>
  <span> people, Doctor Jackson.  To save lives.  And yeah, I do it by shooting things with my big laser.  But even if Colonel O’Neill hates my guts, even if none of the rest of you like me, I’m on your team, and I don’t want to see any of you die.  And I’ll do whatever I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel saw the repressed anger burning in Kelly’s eyes, and behind that, the horror of loss.  Daniel knew that horror himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Kelly asked.  “We understand each other, or are we going to have to start punching?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel smiled.  “No, no need for that.  You’re right, I’m sorry it’s just – it’s been a long day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not getting any shorter by the look of it,” Kelly replied.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“This is P2C-257,” Carter stated, pointing to the world on the glass Stargate network map.  “It is the </span>
  <em>
    <span>only</span>
  </em>
  <span> Goa’uld-occupied world that’s even remotely within a scout ship’s range of Earth at maximum speed.  The Tok’ra operative must be there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are the risks?” Hammond asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well sir, as you know, SG-14 spent several days there observing a Goa’uld mining operation.  Now, they managed to get in and out without being detected.  So can we.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s still the matter of identifying the Tok’ra operative.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anise said it was someone important to both of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone we know,” Daniel put in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least that’s what we’re hoping,” Carter finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond looked between Carter, Daniel, and Kelly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know what the risks are, sir, and we’re ready,” Daniel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can see that,” Hammond said, observing the three of them in full combat gear.  “You want in on this, too?” he asked Kelly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s like Colonel O’Neill said,” Kelly replied.  “We don’t leave our people behind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No we don’t,” Hammond agreed.  “You have a go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, sir,” Carter said.  “Tell them to hang on, sir.  We’ll get there.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Carter and Kelly crouched, P-90 and Scatter Laser pointed at the door.  They’d just been ringed aboard a ship – a sensation Kelly was certain she’d never get used to – and were waiting to see who, exactly, had nabbed them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opened, revealing a thin, bald older man, in tan Tok’ra roughspun that Kelly only recognized thanks to accompanying Daniel to the Tok’ra base.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you out of your minds?  What the hell are you two doing here?” he demanded.  “And who the hell is this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lieutenant Kelly, Extraterrestrial Combat Unit,” Carter replied.  “And we were looking for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well you’d better have a damn good reason,” the man replied.  “Because I was twenty minutes away from detonating a weapons-grade shipment of naquadah that would have vaporized a sizable chunk of this planet!  Now if I hadn’t spotted you three coming through the Stargate—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You saw us?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, the ship was cloaked, ‘was’ being the operative word.  Now they know we’re here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel O’Neill and Teal’c need your help,” Carter replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” the man asked, tone and posture instantly softening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re stranded in a disabled glider headed into deep space,” Daniel answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This was the only ship within range,” Carter added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man nodded.  “Good enough.”  He stepped back from the door.  “Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s. . . not exactly what I expected from a Tok’ra,” Kelly whispered to Carter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, he’s also my dad,” Carter replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Kelly asked, looking back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh.  That. . . that actually explains a few things.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“You can’t just slap a US Air Force sticker on the side of a Death Glider and call it yours,” Jacob retorted.  “Advancement like that has to be earned.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we’ve earned plenty,” Kelly replied hotly.  “We’ve lost lots of good people earning it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um,” Daniel said, cutting off Kelly’s budding tirade.  “Aren’t the Goa’uld, and, and the Tok’ra for that matter, uh, where they are by stealing the technology from other races?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you!” Kelly replied victoriously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but the Tok’ra were flying around in ships like this when most of the people on Earth still thought it was flat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what?” Kelly demanded.  “If we’re good enough to grab it and smart enough to figure it out—” she stopped as the ship shuddered violently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob explained the drives were overtaxed, and he needed to fix them, when Kelly got her first glimpse of a Goa’uld mothership.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She whistled.  “Wow.  The invaders have nothing on these guys.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob and Carter went back to fix the ship, while Daniel tried to stall the Goa’uld.  Even Kelly could tell it wasn’t going well when Jacob returned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sam’s just finishing,” he said, taking the pilot seat back from Daniel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, that’s good, because I don’t think they bought my act,” Daniel replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why, who did you say you were?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The, uh, the Great and Powerful Oz.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob sighed and rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?” Kelly asked.  “That’s the best you could come up with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why, what would have said?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. . . Great Cthulhu, maybe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, both of you,” Jacob said.  “Sam!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Almost there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mothership began launching gliders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s the weapons?” Kelly asked, looking at the console.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a cargo ship, it doesn’t have weapons,” Jacob replied testily.  “We gotta go!” he shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Punch it!” Sam called from the back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With some fancy flying, Jacob eluded the Death Gliders and jumped the ship to hyperspace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” Kelly said.  “You are good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I was a USAF General before I was a Tok’ra,” Jacob replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Kelly asked, looking at Carter.  “Your dad </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> an Air Force General?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Carter replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.  That explains a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Dammit, Colonel, we haven’t come all this way to take you home in a box, now wake up!” Carter shouted over the radio.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You heard her, you daft bastard!” Kelly chimed in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me give them a nudge,” Jacob said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lightly bonking the glider with the cargo ship worked, and Kelly was once more amazed as her teammates pulled a spectacularly stupid plan out of nowhere and put it to work.  Daniel and Kelly stood by in the hold as Jacob brought Jack and Teal’c aboard with the rings, and they promptly collapsed to the ground.  Kelly and Daniel rushed over, brandishing XCOM medkits.  Delirious and chilled, they were otherwise alright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jacob, thanks for stopping by,” O’Neill said, breathing heavily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell, I was in the neighborhood.  Need a lift home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” O’Neill replied, and Kelly reflected there weren’t all that many people who rated automatic sirs from Jack O’Neill, rank notwithstanding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kelly,” Jack said as Daniel helped him up.  “You came, too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, sir, if I didn’t you’d kick my ass when you got home,” she replied.  “Since we don’t leave our people behind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn straight,” O’Neill said, smiling.  “You’re catching on, Kelly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, sir.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This one was initially posted out of order, it's in order here.  I wanted to do something to develop Kelly a little bit more, and wasn’t quite sure how to do it.  Then I got to thinking about her in the events of episode 4.12 “Tangent”.  Even though she has zero skills to help in this situation, her being there speaks a lot about her, and how she reacts to the team.  She’s still not one of them, she’s still getting to know them and they’re getting to know her, but I think by the end of this, she’s at least on her way to being one of the True Companions.</p><p>Really, if you get to thinking about it, XCOM’s casualty figures probably closely match those of the SGC (given how many times disposable SG teams are killed in their entirety just to prove the threat of the week is actually a threat), and XCOM probably has about the same number of soldiers as the SGC does around Season 4 (15 SG teams as of Season 4, with between four and six members per team).  So it’s kind of funny that XCOM is seen as more cavalier about soldiers dying than the SGC is, when slaughtered SG team members (who aren’t on SG-1) are hardly ever mentioned again after their demise.  But, we can assume all the mourning and due to the dead happens offscreen.</p><p>So I kind of wanted to explore the mentality of an XCOM soldier here, as I see it.  They do have an odd kind of detachment, a knowledge that it’s probably only a matter of time before they, or someone they care about, gets burned down by plasma fire.  But that doesn’t mean they won’t do everything in their power to delay that, and won’t try and save everyone they can.  Kelly’s thinking here is slightly different than in her introductory chapter.  First, she’s getting a bit used to how the SGC does things differently.  But also, when it came to rescuing Daniel, there was little reason to believe, in her mind, that he’d still be alive when they found him, or was even still alive at the point they were tracking him, they were far enough behind.  Here, they know Jack and Teal’c are alive, and know pretty much exactly how much longer they’ve got.  It’s a long shot, but it’s a shot to save their lives.  Like taking a 19% chance-to-hit shot at the Thin Man that’s flanking your teammate:  might as well take it, you might get lucky and have one less empty seat on the way back, versus being out of ammo, out of actions, or having no line-of-sight to said Thin Man:  there’s literally nothing you can do alter this outcome.</p><p>Daniel’s antagonism may seem out of character for him, but I have a few good reasons.  First, in the episode he admits that he lost his temper with Anise, so it makes sense he’d still be angry as he and Kelly are on their way back to the Stargate from that meeting.  Second, Daniel and Jack have a really deep bond, so Daniel is not going to take the possibility of losing him well.  Third, Daniel can be kind of a jerk at times, especially when someone rubs him the wrong way, which Kelly’s more military, XCOM mindset definitely would.  So I feel it makes perfect sense he’d snap at her, and he just happens to push a few of her buttons.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Operation XCOM 2010</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ten years in the future, Earth is at peace under the loving and watchful care of the Aschen and the Elders.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>The </b>
  <b>
    <em>Avenger</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Beneath South Africa</b>
</p><p>
  <b>January, 2010</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford leaned back in his chair in the small office adjoining the bridge on the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  He looked up at his guests, scratching his lined face.  “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here,” he said, glowering at the new arrivals.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to see you too, Bradford,” Jack said happily.  “How’s things?  You’re looking well.  Knee still bothering you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clam it, Jack.  This is all your fault anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack spread his hands.  “Hey, I went on record saying I thought this was a bad idea.  I didn’t like them, I didn’t trust them, and everyone else ignored me.  Including you, I believe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So that’s why you’re here?  For an ‘I told you so’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at all,” Sam stepped in before Jack could respond.  “We’re here because we need your help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford laughed humorlessly.  “My help?  Take a look around, Sam.  What the hell kind of help could I possibly be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know you’re trying to get XCOM up and running again,” Daniel said.  “The big alien cargo ship isn’t exactly subtle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Big alien cargo ship that’s not going anywhere for the foreseeable future,” Bradford replied.  “And what’s it to you if I want to keep fighting the damn aliens?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s why we need your help,” Sam said.  “And why we think you need ours.  You don’t know what’s really going on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know all I need to.  We know people are going missing, we know those damn gene therapy clinics aren’t on the level, we know the Elders are behind it all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that’s what I’m saying, they’re not.  Or not all of it, anyway.  You’re worried about the people who don’t come back from the clinics.  We’re worried about the ones who do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford’s eyes narrowed.  “What are you talking about, Sam?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samantha Carter sighed and looked down.  When she met Bradford’s gaze again, he could see real anger in them.  “Joe and I have been trying to have kids for the last two years.  No success.  I saw Janet the other day, and she told me I’m sterile.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m very sorry, Sam, but I don’t see what—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My Aschen doctor assured me I was in perfect health and there was nothing to worry about,” she cut him off.  “Janet and I did some poking around the Aschen/ADVENT database.  The gene clinics are set to sterilize 90% of the people who visit them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford had thought nothing that ADVENT or the Aschen were up to would surprise him.  He was wrong.  “But why?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel stepped forward.  “We don’t know, but we have a theory.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sam continued.  “The Aschen helped the Elders and ADVENT perfect their gene therapy for use on humans.  Whatever’s going on is happening with the knowledge and consent of ADVENT.  The Aschen are already taking up important positions between Earth humans and ADVENT.  If our population starts dropping by 90%, in a generation there won’t be enough of us left to mount any kind of resistance.  The Aschen can just. . . take over.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what does ADVENT get out of this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does it matter?” Jack asked.  “We’re in the midst of a bona fide evil scheme here, and we’ve got a mind to stop it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford sighed heavily, the weight of loss and failure pressing him down into his chair.  “If it’s already gone this far, Jack, then it’s over.  We lost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not necessarily,” Sam said.  “Once, we went through the Stargate as a solar flare was erupting.  It bent the wormhole back in on itself, and we ended up back on Earth, but in 1969.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford raised his eyebrows.  “Are you serious?  Time travel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Carter’s always serious about this stuff,” Jack said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Using the Aschen computers, I can predict when a solar flare will erupt that will let us dial back to Earth before we left for the Aschen homeworld.  We can send a message through, a simple note, warning us not to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fine for you, but what about us?” Bradford asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We include an instruction to leave the Beta Gate and DHD with XCOM.  When your base is attacked, you can evac to the Alpha Site.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford smiled for the first time in years.  “Or </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> could ‘Gate to the Alpha Site, we could hook up our DHD, and you could ‘Gate back to our base and help us out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sam smiled back.  “If one of us thinks of it in time, sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We write it down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sam shook her head.  “We need to keep the message minimal.  We don’t want to disrupt the timeline too much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But we’re already planning on erasing this timeline completely,” Bradford said.  “What does it matter if—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t waste your breath,” O’Neill interrupted.  “I’ve already gone on record saying I think we’ll come to regret it, but you know what Carter’s like when she gets all science-like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford nodded.  “Fine.  So what do you need from me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter answered.  “Well, we don’t control the Stargate anymore.  ADVENT troops and Aschen defensive weapons are all around it.  If this is going to work, we’re going to need one hell of a distraction.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I can’t think of anything more distracting than a bunch of pissed-off XCOM grunts shooting up the place,” O’Neill declared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford frowned.  “If that’s what you want, then I’m sorry to say you can’t have it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, c’mon, Bradford.  We know you’ve got some troops trained up—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that, Jack.  I’m trying to safeguard humanity’s last hope.  I can’t send my people into battle for a goal that could very well be a pipe dream.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This will work,” Sam said.  “We can avoid any of this ever happening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if we can’t, my people and I still need to be here to try and fix it, or die trying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Without your Commander, my money’s on the second one,” Jack stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll find the Commander,” Bradford said icily.  “That’s a promise.  Now get the hell off my ship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel spoke up, trying to salvage the situation.  “Look, John, Teal’c and some of his Jaffa have already agreed to help, you won’t be alone.  The more people we get, the better—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said no.  Now get out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you heard the man,” Jack said.  “Nice seeing you again, Bradford.  You let us know how this all works out, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just go.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Jack took one last stroll around the Stargate terminal, sighting where the various Aschen weapons were located and noting the ADVENT guards patrolling the area with their magnetic rifles.  Finally, he wound his way back to the rest of SG-1.  “Well, campers, how we feeling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nervous,” Sam replied.  “It’s been awhile.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, Carter.  It’s like falling off a bike.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean falling off a log,” Daniel corrected.  “Or riding a bike.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I meant what I said,” Jack replied.  “Teal’c should be here any minute.  Everyone got their notes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sam and Daniel nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Jack said to no one in particular.  “Any minute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Incoming wormhole from Chulak.  Please stand clear,” the terminal’s PA announced.  Moments later, Teal’c, Bra’tac, and a half-dozen other Jaffa stood before the Stargate, staff weapons in hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mor balaten!” an ADVENT officer shouted, rushing up to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apologies,” Teal’c replied, bowing.  “These weapons are for ceremonial purposes, we intend no violence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mor balaten!” the officer repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Teal’c replied calmly, before swinging his staff up in an arc, catching the officer on the chin, and sending him ass-over-teakettle down the steps leading to the Stargate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ADVENT forces were good, diving away from the Jaffa to seek cover, but the Jaffa had the element of surprise, and the long peace had dulled their warrior instincts not one whit.  One whole squad was down before the Aschen weapons began firing, their effect dulled by the old armor the Jaffa were wearing under their robes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s it, go!” Jack called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sam broke for the dialing computer, pulling out the mag pistol she’d kept concealed in her bag.  Jack and Daniel had old XCOM laser pistols, and began shooting at the ADVENT troops and emplaced weapons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Sam got the dialing computer online and began entering the address that would properly intersect the solar flare to bend the wormhole back with the right superspatial geometry to arrive back on Earth at the right point in time, another squad of ADVENT soldiers, backed by a MEC, entered the terminal.  The Jaffa opened fire, but the MEC’s armor had been designed with plasma blasts in mind.  The staff weapons that could blast clean through an ADVENT soldier barely slowed the tall machine as it hunched forward to aim the shoulder-mounted multi-grenade launcher.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A figure crashed through the window of the upper balcony, LMG in hand, and braced it against the railing before firing down at the MEC.  The explosive tungsten rounds shredded the MECs armor, and a follow-up shot from an assault-rifle-wielding figure who joined him finished it before it could fire.  The MEC sparked and stuttered before collapsing in a heap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright!” Bradford called from the upper level.  “Let’s do this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>XCOM troops, some with old laser weapons but most making do with even older ballistics, opened fire.  The ADVENT troops now found themselves in a three-way crossfire, between the Jaffa, Jack and Daniel, and the XCOM troops on the upper level.  Two XCOM soldiers moved to cover Carter’s position at the dialing computer, gunning down a Viper who had been preparing to yank her away from the controls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry I’m late, sir,” Shauna Kelly said, darting to where O’Neill was taking cover behind a pillar.  A shot from his laser pistol burned the brain of an ADVENT soldier.  “Central didn’t want to let us come out and play.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What changed his mind?” Jack asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He just realized that, Commander or no, we’re already toast.”  A shot from her Scatter Laser clipped a Sectoid, who quickly pulled back behind the terminal door.  “A crazy plan from SG-1 is the only shot we have left.  Just like old times.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good to see you, Shauna.”  The Stargate engaged with the customary </span>
  <em>
    <span>kawoosh</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and Jack grinned.  “Cover me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got it.”  Kelly began spraying fire from her Scatter Laser as magnetic rounds, bullets, laser beams, and Aschen energy darts filled the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack ran up the ramp to the Stargate, pulled his note out of his pocket, and hurled it in.  He heard the plasma bolt that got him in the back, but didn’t see Kelly whirl and blow the head off the Viper who’d fired it.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>SG-1’s impending mission was interrupted by an unscheduled offworld activation.  Hammond ordered the iris open upon receiving SG-1’s IDC, much to the confusion of SG-1, who were standing at the foot of the ramp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only thing to come out of the Stargate was a crumpled note.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack walked up to retrieve it.  “Under no circumstances go to P4C-970, give XCOM the Beta Gate and DHD.  Colonel Jack O’Neill,” he read it out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That looks like your handwriting, sir,” Carter said, looking at the note.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is my handwriting, but I didn’t write that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet, anyway,” Carter said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack tilted his head quizzically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know the Stargate can send a wormhole back in time under the right circumstances.  You must have sent this from the future to warn us about something bad on that planet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Must have been pretty bad,” Daniel observed, recalling many other near-disasters as a result of stepping through the Stargate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond nodded.  “That’s good enough for me.  I’ll order P4C-970 locked out of the dialing computer immediately.  SG-1, your mission is scrubbed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Jack said, heading back out of the ‘Gate room.  “Movie night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had some tests I wanted to run on the—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carter,” Jack replied.  “You can take two hours off, the world isn’t going to implode.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I vote for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Star Wars</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Teal’c said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You always vote for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Star Wars</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Daniel replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Teal’c said with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Thing</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Kelly suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh,” O’Neill replied.  “Good choice.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, this was my redo of episode 4.16 “2010”, and it requires a bit of explaining.  Partly because there was really no way for SG-1 and XCOM to figure out some of what went on to lead to this, and partly because revealing too much about the Elders/Ethereals and their plans here would spoil things for the rest of the fic.</p><p>So, SG-1 went to the Aschen homeworld, and found an advanced human civilization that could help defeat the Goa’uld.  But the Aschen are real dicks, so when they were asked to help against the Ethereals as well, they took a look at the data XCOM had collected, decided they really wanted to meet these people, and figured out a way to communicate with them.  The Ethereals were rather surprised, but very pleased, when they realized the Aschen were willing and able to help them with their goals.</p><p>Before the Aschen were able to “negotiate peace” with Ethereals, the XCOM base was attacked, the Commander was captured, and XCOM effectively ceased to exist.  The Aschen urged Earth to cooperate, helped set up the ADVENT administration seen in XCOM2, and helped ADVENT get the gene therapy clinics up and running.  The Aschen went forth with their sterilization plan, since the Etherals promised them Earth and pretty much all other human worlds once the Ethereals completed their AVATAR Project.  They didn’t need Earth humans to breed to get the genetic material they needed, especially not with access to the worlds of the Aschen Confederation and countless other worlds with human populations through the Stargate.  The Ethereals only real interest in humanity was in gaining what they believe they need for “what lies ahead.”  Once they had that, they’d go off to do. . . whatever it is they think they need to do, and leave the Aschen to do whatever they want.</p><p>So yeah, basically a grand alliance of gigantic assholes.</p><p>Plus, I really wanted to see Teal’c beat the stuffing out of an ADVENT trooper with his staff.  Because awesome.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Threat Crystalizes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Run N Gun, Outsider interrogation, and Terror Attack.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>P26-00J</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Goa’uld-Held World</b>
</p><p>
  <b>February, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>O’Neill ducked farther behind his chosen rock as the staff blasts whizzed past his head.  Eight Jaffa had pursued them back towards the Stargate, and had finally drawn close enough that SG-1 had to make a stand.  Finding cover, they began firing back at their attackers, who also proceeded to duck behind a rock outcropping.</p><p>Jack sensed an opening, popped up, and fired his P-90 at the Jaffa.  He clipped one of them before he had to duck back away from more staff blasts.</p><p>Teal’c fired his own staff weapon back, catching one of the Jaffa in the shoulder and spinning him to the ground.</p><p>“Last mag, sir!” Carter called out as she reloaded, then fired a few bursts back.</p><p>“Going in for the kill,” Kelly declared, rushing out from behind her chosen rock.</p><p>“Kelly!  Get your ass down!” O’Neill cried.</p><p>But it was too late.  Running hunched over, her Scatter Laser held at her middle, moving faster than O’Neill had seen someone run in a long time, the Jaffa had no trouble spotting Kelly and shifting their fire to her.  None of the staff blasts touched her, but a few came dangerously close as she spun to put her back against a tall rock, and continued to turn around the other side, giving her a clear shot.</p><p>One of the Jaffa stood, whirling his staff to bring it to bear against this opponent now on his flank.  Kelly stroked the trigger on her Scatter Laser, and the weapon let loose a throaty thrum with its cone of laser beams, melting the Jaffa’s armor and flesh.  The Jaffa screamed and went down.</p><p>The others began firing at Kelly, who ducked back behind her increasingly-small cover.</p><p>Jack and Carter opened up with their P-90s, Teal’c with his staff, and Daniel with his pistol.  Caught now between two angles of attack, the Jaffa could not bring their awkward weapons to bear quickly enough to suppress both.</p><p>Minutes later, it was all over.</p><p>“Kelly,” O’Neill said, walking up to where the Jaffa’s scattered bodies lay.  “That was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in a long time.”</p><p>Kelly beamed.  “Thank you, sir.”</p><p>“You pull a stunt like that again without my express order, and I’ll shoot ‘ya.”</p><p>Kelly’s face fell.</p><p>“Alright, let’s pick up the staffs and zats and get back to the ‘Gate before their buddies show up.”</p><p>“He’s joking about shooting me, right?” Kelly muttered to Daniel as they began collecting their spoils.</p><p>“I wouldn’t bank on that,” Daniel replied.</p><hr/><p>Back at the SGC, SG-1 was met by Hammond and Dr. Vahlen in the Gate Room.</p><p>“Welcome back, SG-1,” Hammond said.  “Ran into some trouble?” he asked, noting the bundles of staff weapons they’d loaded onto the MALP.</p><p>“Nothing we couldn’t handle, sir.  But P26-00J is crawling with Jaffa, I wouldn’t advise a return trip.”</p><p>“Noted, Colonel, thank you.  Dr. Vahlen arrived an hour ago, she has some interesting data she’d like to share with you.  Get cleaned up and meet us in the briefing room.”</p><p>“Sure thing, General.  Doctor.”</p><p>Half an hour later, after stowing their gear, hitting the showers, and slipping into fresh fatigues, SG-1 sat at the table in the briefing room, watching as Dr. Vahlen loaded data from her tablet into the computer controlling the large screen in the wall.</p><p>“Ah, there,” she said.  “In addition to deploying troops when the aliens begin attempting to abduct people, we have intercepted and shot down a number of alien craft.”  She brought up images of the UFOs on the screen.  “When we have attacked the crash site to eliminate the remaining crew and take the ship for study, we have invariably encountered this creature, which we call an Outsider, within the UFO itself.”  The image switched to armored, robotic-looking being.  “Shooting it causes it to vanish.  I have wanted to attempt to take one alive for several months, but our Arc Throwers proved insufficient to the task.  Getting close enough to use one before the soldiers were forced to fire on it to protect themselves was not feasible.  Thanks to your Zat weapons, we were finally able to successfully stun the creature.”  The image shifted again, to a solid, orange crystal shape.  “The result was this.  The humanoid form of the creature was a construct of pure energy, this is its true shape.  It resonates, very faintly, in a specific electromagnetic spectrum, which Dr. Shen believes makes it an antenna.”</p><p>Carter leaned forward, looking at the numbers that appeared next to the image of the crystal, showing the readings Vahlen’s team had collected from it.  “Astonishing,” she said.  “I think that’s a Unity crystal.”</p><p>“Unity?” Vahlen asked.</p><p>“A crystalline alien race we encountered on P3X-562.  The crystals strongly resonated electromagnetic energy, and in Earth’s stronger electromagnetic field, emitted powerful bursts of radiation.  They could sculpt themselves, or raw electromagnetic energy, into convincing shapes.  One actually duplicated Colonel O’Neill.”</p><p>“This sounds like a very dangerous species,” Vahlen said, concerned.</p><p>Carter shook her head.  “Only unintentionally.  They’re quite peaceful, and the damage they cause is only accidental to their attempts to communicate.  The structure and electromagnetic readings you're getting are subtly different, but close enough that I think this Outsider is a modified version of a Unity.”</p><p>“In the same way the Sectoids are modified Asgard,” Vahlen noted.</p><p>“This is all very fascinating,” O’Neill said.  “But what’s it got to do with us?”</p><p>“Well, I was hoping you might have encountered something similar in your offworld travels, and I’m pleased to see I was correct,” Vahlen said.  “Also, we are working on a way to interface this crystal with our global satellite network, which should enable us to begin tracing alien communications to their point of origin.  When this happens, we will likely find the source point for the invasion and shut it down.”</p><p>“So, it’s almost over?” Hammond asked.</p><p>“I do not believe so.  There are those in XCOM, Central Officer Bradford among them, who believe this crystal will lead us to the invaders’ primary command center.  I believe, at best, we will find a small communication relay, a listening post for coordinating the invaders’ attacks.  Whatever we find, we wish to keep the SGC informed.”</p><p>“And we thank you for that, Doctor,” Hammond replied.  “And if there’s anything we can do to help, let us know.”</p><p>“We will, General, thank you.”</p><hr/><p>Vahlen arrived back at the XCOM HQ an hour before everything changed.</p><p>Called to the Situation Room, she, Shen, and Bradford watched as news reports showed an alien ship bombarding Mexico City, before disgorging an army of Floaters and Chryssalids to run amok among the populace.</p><p>“It looks like they’ve changed their tactics,” Shen noted with disgust.  “But why?  Why do this?”</p><p>“It’s a message,” Bradford replied.  “To the whole world.  That nothing can stop them.”  He took a deep breath, steeling himself.  “But we’re going to prove them wrong.  Dr. Shen, I think it’s time for your little field test.”</p><p>Shen nodded.  “We’re ready.”</p><hr/><p>“The aliens are terrorizing Mexico City,” Bradford said over the Skyranger’s speakers.  “You’re dropping into the combat zone hot.  Kill all aliens you see and protect those civilians.”</p><p>“Copy that, Central,” Delta 2 replied, then turned to address the rest of the squad.  “All right, people,” he said, racking back the charging handle on his Heavy Laser, causing it to power up with a deep thrum.  “Let’s show these bastards they’re screwing with the wrong planet.”</p><p>The Skyranger braked to a halt in mid-air, opened the back door, and the XCOM operatives leapt out, grabbing the ropes hanging from the tail to slow their descent into the AO.</p><p>One trooper didn’t bother with the rope.  Footsteps sending shudders through the deck, Sergeant William Anderson of Australia, clad in a massive powered cybersuit, dropped to the ground and soaked the impact with the servomotors in his armored legs.</p><p>Almost instantly, they spotted civilians cowering from the attacking alien forces.  Gunfire in the distance showed that the local police and even military forces had shown up to try and contain the incursion, but XCOM had dropped where the aliens were thickest.  They’d only ushered two civilians to safety when the aliens charged them, a pod of three Chryssalids coming at them with roars and shrieks.</p><p>“Light ‘em up!” Delta 2 cried, triggering his Heavy Laser.  The extra-long beam created by the rotating barrels sawed one of the Chyssalids’ heads off, dropping it to the ground.  Lieutenants Emily “Freestyle” Walker and Donna “Smokes” Brown concentrated their Scatter Laser and Laser Rifle fire on the second, burning through its thick armor and boiling away internal organs.  Anderson’s railgun roared, and Chryssalid he’d aimed at simply vanished in a spatter of ichor and chitin shards.</p><p>As they moved up to rescue a second batch of civilians, a group of Floaters flanked them, and Corporal Jarne Vandenburg bought a plasma blast in the back.  Delta 2 cut it out of the air with his Heavy Laser, and Freestyle and Smokes shot down his wingmen while Anderson moved to cover another civilian.</p><p>“Targets detected,” Anderson declared in a flat, mechanically-filtered voice as three more Chryssalids charged their position.  One got close enough to bite Freestyle, but Smokes stopped the bleeding and neutralized the venom with her medikit.</p><p>“Killing it with fire,” Anderson announced, torching two of the three Chryssalids with his flamethrower.  Cooking inside their exoskeletons, the bugs couldn’t do anything but run around until the heat killed them.</p><p>“Eat hot photons, you slimy son of a bitch!” Torres cried, holding his Heavy Laser steady on the last Chryssalid’s head, the rotating barrels creating a long beam that burned through the hard carapace.  As its brain boiled, the creature collapsed.  “You alright, Freestyle?”</p><p>Walker nodded.  “I can move sir.  Point me at a bug, I’ll shove some laser shot up its ass.”</p><p>“That won’t be necessary, Strike-1,” Bradford said over their comms.  “We’re not reading any more hostile contacts.  The AO is secure.”</p><p>“Alright,” Delta 2 exclaimed.  “Authentic tacos on the way back, I’m buying.”</p><p>“That’s a negative, Strike 1.  The Skyranger is not to be used for transporting carryout.”</p><p>“We’ll bring some for you and the Commander, too.”</p><p>“That’s still a negative, Strike 1.”</p><hr/><p>Back at the SGC, O’Neill and the rest of SG-1 looked over the reports of the recent alien “Terror” attack on Mexico City in the briefing room.</p><p>“Well, this can’t be good,” O’Neill said, closing the folder and shoving it away.</p><p>“No, it’s not,” Hammond agreed.  “XCOM and the Planetary Defense Council have been keeping the invasion under wraps until now, but there’s just no way to explain this away as a gas leak or a weather balloon.”</p><p>“So, what does that mean for us?” Carter asked.  “Is XCOM going public?  Are <em> we </em>?”</p><p>“I don’t know yet.  From what I gather, XCOM’s Commander and the Council have been hashing out exactly that for the last two days.  But people are scared, and they want answers.  They’re glad someone showed up to so efficiently put a stop to the attack, but they’d very much like to know who they were.”</p><p>“I don’t see that it affects us at all,” O’Neill said.  “We’re working with XCOM, we’re not a part of them.  If they go public, that’s no reason for the Stargate Program to follow.”</p><p>“That is one side of the debate, Colonel.  The other is that, if XCOM goes public, and if that is decided to be in the best interests of this nation and this planet to fend off the invaders, then the existence of the Stargate, the work we’ve done here, and the allies we’ve made offworld gives people hope that there’s more out there then one group of aliens carrying on cranky, and that we’re capable of finding a solution to the problem.”</p><p>“So, which way are the political winds blowing?” Daniel asked.</p><p>“Right now, we’re waiting to see how XCOM deals with this.  If they go public, and the reaction is favorable, then we may well follow suit.  If it isn't, then we’ll. . . reevaluate.”</p><p>“So, you’re basically throwing my people under the bus?” Kelly asked hotly.</p><p>Hammond shook his head.  “No.  We will continue to work with XCOM and provide whatever aid we can.  I’m not going to let fear of exposure of this facility and program stop us from saving the planet.”</p><p>Carter shifted uncomfortably.  “But what if it comes down to a choice between helping against the invaders or working against the Goa’uld, sir?”</p><p>“I don’t think it’ll come to that,” Hammond replied.  “But if it does, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, there we go, the first Terror! Attack.  Things are going to start getting sticky at this point.</p><p>I’ve had the idea for Shauna Kelly’s Establishing Character Moment for a while, but I just wasn’t sure where to put it.  I’d wanted to include it before the rewrite of 2010, to give her some cred for that battle, but that story idea was nettling me something fierce so I had to get it out.  So I made it a sort of action prologue to this chapter, before moving on to discussing the Outsider.  P26-00J was a throwaway world that I decided to have SG-1’s non-canon combat mission take place on.</p><p>The Unity appeared in episode 1.07 “Cold Lazarus”, and never again after that.  It seemed likely to me that, as the Ethereals take other races and mold them to suit their own ends, them doing so to a crystalline race could well explain the Outsider from EU, which appears to be more a component of a UFO than a crewmember.  How, exactly, the Ethereals are able to alter a crystalline alien to suit their needs I’m a bit fuzzy on, but Meld was probably responsible.</p><p>The first Terror! Attack seems to be a direct response to capturing an Outsider, so I had to put that in, as well.  We get the return of Delta 2, some more XCOM grunts, the first deployment of a MEC Trooper in combat.  And yes, the SGC will be seeing them, and it will be awesome.</p><p>A frequent Headscratcher for EU on TvTropes is why XCOM seems to be the only ones fighting the aliens.  People pointed out that, in Terror! missions at least, you can clearly hear sounds of combat beyond what your squad is engaged in, so other police/military forces are clearly on-site dealing with the attack, XCOM is just there to help out.  So I included references to a larger number of aliens than you typically fight in a Terror! mission, and other forces fighting them.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Timing Is Everything</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Pair of Jacks, pair of Carters, pair of Daniels, Pair of Teal'cs. . . I do believe that's a Full House.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Stargate Command</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, USA</b>
</p><p>
  <b>February, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zhang, Hammond, and SG-1 sat in the briefing room, Zhang with a folder before him.  “I have been looking over your mission reports,” he said, indicating the folder.  “And one in particular so far has jumped out at me.  Your mission to P3X-989, also called Altair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, don’t remind me,” O’Neill said.  The fact that he had a robot duplicate on another world was an uncomfortable fact he didn’t like to think about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I read that your experience there was unpleasant, but I feel, and the Commander agrees, that Altair could be worth another look.  Its technology was highly advanced, and we could certainly use the assistance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No point,” O’Neill replied.  “I told the other me to bury the ‘Gate after we left.  We’re cut off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still, there is no harm in trying, is there?”  Seeing O’Neill prepared to gripe some more, Zhang cut him off.  “And, as a gesture of our cooperation, these just arrived for you.”  He motioned to the large window overlooking the Stargate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Curiosity getting the better of him, Jack got up and moved to the window, the rest of SG-1 following.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a SHIV?” he asked, looking at the odd wheeled vehicle currently occupying the Gate Room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is based on that, yes,” Zhang replied.  “Looking over the schematics for your MALPs, Dr. Shen drew up these plans and outsourced construction to Area 51.  The first dozen just arrived.  We’re calling them the Super Heavy Infantry Vehicle/Recon, or SHIVR.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” O’Neill said, looking at the machine, mostly the large Heavy Laser that dominated the top of it.  “Not that I’m complaining, but why do we need a MALP with a big, honkin’ space gun on it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The SHIVR can be operated remotely, either through the ‘Gate or on-site by an SG Team member,” Zhang replied.  “Or it can operate autonomously, engaging any target not broadcasting an IFF signal.  The programming is quite sophisticated, able to be set to engage targets only in certain size ranges, and it will only fire at targets moving above certain speeds, also configurable.  It can also be set in a safe mode, where it will not fire at anything unless overridden by remote, should you deploy it on worlds with friendlies.  Adding extra firepower to guard the ‘Gate while a team explores, and to cover them should they return under fire, seems like a good idea, wouldn’t you say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” O’Neill nodded.  “And this little rolling laser deathbot is supposed to convince me to go back and say ‘hi’ to Harlan, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“XCOM would be most appreciative if you would at least attempt contact, yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond suppressed a chuckle.  “It’s up to you, Colonel.  But, in the interests of fostering our good working relationship, I intend to at least attempt to dial Altair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” O’Neill said.  “If you don’t get a busy signal or whatever, we’ll go check it out.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Ten minutes later, much to O’Neill’s dismay, the dialing of Altair produced a stable wormhole.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That bone-headed erector set,” O’Neill muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It appears your robot duplicate is as good at following orders as you are, Colonel,” Hammond replied.  “Send in the MALP,” he said through the control room’s microphone.  It had been decided, with the potential for disaster on this particular trip, not to risk one of the expensive new SHIVRs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The MALP moved up the ramp and through the Stargate, and soon began transmitting images from the other side.  “That’s Harlan’s facility, all right,” Carter observed, looking at the screens.  “It doesn’t look like the ‘Gate was ever buried at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> gonna kick his tin-plated ass,” O’Neill declared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’ll have to go there to do it,” Zhang observed, attempting not to be smug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir,” O’Neill said, turning to Hammond.  “Permission to go give an idiot robot a stern lecture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond smiled.  “Permission granted.  SG-1, you have a go.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Comtraya!” Harlan called as SG-1 arrived through the ‘Gate.  “Oh, I am so glad you’re back!  Now, if—” he paused, looking the team over.  “Oh, you look different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That happens,” O’Neill replied testily.  “Now, Harlan, if you’d be so kind to tell me where I am, so I can go kick my ass.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.  Oh!  Oh dear oh dear.  You are you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad we established that,” O’Neill replied.  “Yes, we’re us.  Now, where’s the uses you made?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re, well. . . uh, that is. . . they’re not here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If they’re not here, where are they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, oh, this is no good, no good at all.  I warned them, I did.  Bad idea, bad idea!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harlan, where are they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They left.  Through the ‘Gate.  On a mission!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill was flabbergasted.  “They did </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Carter said.  “They can’t leave here, not for long.  They’d run out of power.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes, very clever.  You – that is, the other you – designed a portable power unit.  Very clever, even Hubald would have been impressed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And then they started going on missions?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  They were unhappy.  They couldn’t stop being. . . well, you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Argh!” Jack cried in frustration.  “Alright, where’d they go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, they, I believe, they left a note.  Yes,” Harlan said, accessing the information network the androids shared.  “P3X-729, that’s it, yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s impossible,” Carter said.  “That’s Juna.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The place we kicked Heru-ur off of a while back?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did engage in battle Heru-ur’s Jaffa,” Teal’c replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And didn’t we tell the Junans to bury their ‘Gate after we left?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh.  Alright, Carter, dial up Juna.  Let’s go drag those stupid robots back here before they do something. . . stupid.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Hashak kree!” Cronus shouted, and his Jaffa moved to cover the kneeling warriors of Juna with their staff weapons.  “Kill him” Cronus repeated to Darian, the threat plain in his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Darian opened the staff weapon, pointing it at Daniel Jackson’s neck.  Daniel met Jack’s gaze, kneeling in disguise with the Junans, and shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A deep thrum and a scream drew everyone’s attention to the entrance to Cronus’ throne room, where Kelly had shot one of the Jaffa guarding the door at point-blank range.  As she dove to the side, Teal’c followed, knocking the other door guard’s staff weapon aside before blasting him down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel looked back to Jack, nodding emphatically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the organic Jack and Carter followed Teal’c and Kelly into the throne room, weapons blasting, the androids snapped their chains and dove to the floor to be out of the line of fire.  Robot Jack stood, pulling out his concealed pistol and firing at the Jaffa.  Cronus put up his shield as chaos erupted around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Warriors of Juna!” both Teal’cs cried at once.  “Fight against the false god, Cronus!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shol’va!” Cronus spat, activating the ring remote built-in to his ribbon device.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no ya don’t!” Robot Jack cried, lunging forward and tackling Cronus out of the path of the descending rings.  His artificial mind was able to calculate the exact speed and force at which he would both pass through the shield and have enough kinetic energy to send the Goa’uld sprawling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the element of surprise, and the utter confusion at facing two sets of SG-1s, the Jaffa were at a loss to respond effectively to the attack.  The synthetic SG-1 grabbed fallen staff weapons and began picking off the Jaffa with well-placed shots.  Cronus shoved off Robo’Neill and got to his feet, only to be intercepted by twin staff blasts, fired from both Teal’cs.  The static geometry of the shield meant it had collapsed when Cronus had moved, or rather, been moved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With their god sprawled dead on the floor, the warriors of Juna knew SG-1 was telling the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You!” O’Neill hollered at his robotic counterpart.  “You are a flaming idiot!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, because I showed up to fix your mess?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, boy,” both Daniels said in unison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is what you call fixing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had everything under control.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, did you?  And what was your grand plan to keep android Daniel’s head attached, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sirs!” organic Carter called.  “Much as I’d like to see how this plays out, I think we have larger concerns at the moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cronus has a mothership in orbit,” android Carter confirmed.  “With who knows how many Jaffa.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Up to one thousand,” both Teal’cs answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We still have to deal with that, sir,” organic Carter finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” organic O’Neill said.  “Let’s take the ship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what’s your grand plan for doing that?” android O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We take ol’ Crony’s hand device there, whistle up the rings, hop aboard, take the bridge, and the ship is ours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t remember being this stupid when I was you,” the android shot back.  “Did you forget about the thousand Jaffa between us and there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We would not have to fight them all,” organic Teal’c said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A control panel not far from the ring room would allow us to seal most doors of the vessel, leaving us a clear path to the pel’tak,” robot Teal’c added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, alright.  Let’s go,” O’Neill said.  Both SG-1s moved into the rings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s the kid?” robot O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kid?” Kelly asked incredulously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill sighed.  “Long story.  I’ll explain later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end, the plan went remarkably smoothly.  The androids took turns pulling crystals out of a force-field protected control panel, but once the doors were secured, they had to fight only a handful of Jaffa on their way to the bridge.  Teal’c, hoisting Cronus’ body for effect, announced that the false god was dead, and the Jaffa serving him had the chance for freedom.  Nearly half of them accepted.  The ones who did not were put off the ship on one of Cronus’ other worlds, to spread the news of his defeat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When SG-1 returned to Earth, Vahlen and Shen were positively salivating over the prospect of examining an intact alien ship.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, I didn’t think I was going to touch on this one, but overwhelming requests for Robo SG-1 convinced me otherwise.  I staged it as a redo of episode 4.21 “Double Jeopardy”, because without Robo SG-1 deciding to go there, there’s no way for SG-1 to kill Cronus and make off with his ha’tak, and the ha’tak is rather important.</p><p>I really want to like SHIVs in EU, but they’re all around kind of lackluster.  But I figured, making what’s basically a MALP with a big laser gun on it would only be beneficial to the SGC, so here we have the first arrival of SHIVRs.  I refuse to apologize for the pun.</p><p>Arriving on Juna earlier means the android SG-1 aren’t as close to running out of power as they were in the episode proper, and staging the rescue earlier lets them drop Cronus with fewer casualties.  So yeah, Robo SG-1 is alive and well, and they will have roles to play in future chapters.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Operation Political Trickery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which we check in with Kinsey.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Senate Subcommittee Meeting Room</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Washington DC, USA</b>
</p><p>
  <b>February, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Senator Robert Kinsey had never liked this room.  He’d always believed that the business of governing the American people should take place in full view of everyone, not behind closed doors, no matter how bright the light behind them was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But there were things that had to be discussed in private, even if that discussion wasn’t likely to stay private for very long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People are panicking out there!” Kinsey insisted, thumping his fist on the table.  “They need to know our military is able and willing to protect them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, confidence in our government and military have never been higher,” Major Davis stated.  “The alien attack on Mexico City was deeply concerning, but the efficiency with which it was handled is showing people that we can fight back successfully.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For how long?” Kinsey replied.  “These reports indicate these invaders have been steadily ramping up not just the size of craft they’re attacking with, but the lethality of their soldiers as well.  How long before they send down something we aren’t prepared to deal with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the responsibility of the XCOM Project, Senator,” the deep, rich voice from the monitor screen replied.  “Their efforts have so far exceeded our expectations, and that’s not a statement this Council makes lightly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, by all means, let’s place all our trust in a UN team of alien-fighting superheroes,” Kinsey replied sarcastically.  “I don’t think entrusting the fate of this nation to some international coalition is in our best interests.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Appropriations Committee disagrees, Senator,” Senator Warren replied.  “We’ve voted to increase funding for XCOM in the wake of this attack, to protect us should the aliens try something like it here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do have other options available,” Kinsey stated slyly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Stargate Program has its own mandate, Senator,” Davis replied, seeing where this was going.  “Their efforts should remain focused on dealing with the offworld threat posed by the Goa’uld.  They are cooperating with XCOM, sharing information, technology, and intelligence, but we can’t make one do the job of the other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Kinsey replied.  “The SGC is already experienced at fighting aliens, we can send them out to protect our borders from these invaders.  Isn’t that part of the SGC’s mandate?  To defend </span>
  <em>
    <span>Earth</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And they’re doing that through their cooperation with XCOM, Senator.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And do we have anyone ensuring this cooperation is actually benefiting both organizations, and this country?” Kinsey retorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be my job, Senator,” the Spokesman replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I see,” Kinsey said.  “So, I’d ask </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> when, exactly, America is going to start benefiting from all the money we’ve dumped into your XCOM boondoggle?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you currently being dissected aboard an alien spacecraft, Senator?” the Spokesman replied coolly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your people have advanced weapons and armor technology, and I’ve read reports of research into alien navigation, energy, and propulsion systems for creating new fighter craft.  When is America going to start getting some of this technology?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you’re ready, Senator.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey narrowed his eyes.  “And what does that mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Until such time as we are satisfied invader technology will not be turned against the other nations of this Earth, the Council for Planetary Defense and the XCOM Project will retain sole control over all of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t do that,” Kinsey declared.  “That’s a violation of UN Charters and US sovereignty!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And using invader technology to further political or military ends would be violations of same.  Place your trust in XCOM, Senator.  We will defend this world.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>All</span>
  </em>
  <span> the peoples of this world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And do the people know that?”  Kinsey asked.  “So far, XCOM has remained completely silent, hiding in the shadows.  No one knows you’re out there, leaving the people to think our military is all that stands between them and the barbarians at the gate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That should bolster their confidence in your ability to defeat this threat, Senator, exactly as you would like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not the point.  You operate with zero accountability, zero transparency.  No one knows what you’re up to, who’s making your decisions or why.  Who are you choosing to sacrifice and who are you choosing to save, and what gives you the right to make those calls?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have placed an extremely competent individual in command of the XCOM Project, Senator.  Their decisions have the full support of this Council.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And who supports your decisions?  The people need to understand what’s happening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think there’s a chance they don’t?” Major Davis asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve been hanging around O’Neill too much, Major,” Kinsey replied.  “And no, I don’t believe they do get the picture, at least not all of it.  They know there’s aliens attacking Earth, it’d be pretty hard to deny that at this point.  But they don’t know what we’re doing to stop them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Council has debated this point, Senator,” the Spokesman said.  “We have decided that, for now, XCOM should remain free to do its work unfettered by bureaucracy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what happens if we decide we don’t like how XCOM is operating?” Kinsey asked.  “You tell us to just deal with it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In so many words, Senator.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey scowled at the shrouded figure on the monitor.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Kinsey returned to his office in a foul mood.  So far, no opening to leverage this alien invasion for his own gain and the benefit of his country had been wide enough for him to take advantage of it.  He wouldn’t admit that XCOM was doing well, but they weren’t doing badly enough to push for dissolving them and shuffling at least some of their troops and materiel stateside, and the accord between them and SGC froze out his other best avenue of attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when his secretary informed him he had a visitor, Kinsey was in no mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you, and what do you want?” Kinsey asked bluntly as he sat down at his desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Straight to the point, Senator, I like that.  I understand you have some misgivings about XCOM and their ability to handle this incursion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you know about XCOM?” Kinsey asked, half-dismissively, half-intrigued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite a lot, actually.  More than you do, I’m certain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I don’t believe you’ve answered my question.  Who are you, and what do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Call me Tricker.  As for what I want, well. . . I think I want us to be friends.  And maybe introduce you to some other friends of mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen, Mr. Tricker—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just Tricker.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright.  Listen, Tricker, I have quite enough friends already, I’m not sure I’m in the market for any more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you just might be, once you learn what my friends and I can do for friends like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey smiled.  “Are you trying to bribe a United States Senator?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have I said anything that would make you think that?  No, I just heard you have a problem, one which my friends and I might share.  And friends like to help each other solve their problems.  It’s part of being friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You talk a lot, Mr. Tricker—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just Tricker.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you don’t really say anything.  What, exactly, do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tricker smiled.  “As I said, to help with some problems.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if I don’t have any problems I want your help with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Senator, that’s your call.  But keep your eyes open.  I think you’ll be impressed with what my friends and I can accomplish when we work together.  I’ll be in touch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tricker left, and Kinsey relaxed in his chair.  “Well, that was weird.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A short little interlude, focusing on everyone’s favorite smarmy politician.  Gotta say, I’d love to meet Ronny Cox and tell him just how enjoyable his bad guys are.  Seriously, the guy’s amazing.</p><p>This shows some of the aftermath of the first Terror! attack in a previous chapter.  So far, both XCOM and the SGC remain secret, though that may or may not change as the story progresses and the Ethereals continue to get bolder.  Kinsey, of course, is looking for any leverage he can get to turn this around to his advantage, but people are starting to get wise to his games.</p><p>You all can probably guess who Tricker represents in all this.  The name and the “Just Tricker” quirk come from a very good trilogy of novels by SM Sterling, sequels to Terminator 2 (ignoring the other films, since even Terminator 3 hadn’t come out yet when they were written).  In the books, Tricker was a government agent liaising with Cyberdyne in the creation of SkyNet.  I borrowed the name because it sounded appropriate for. . . well, someone working for who Tricker is working for.  Of course he’s not going to just come out and try and recruit Kinsey, but they’d definitely be interested in seeing if he’s receptive to joining. . . their organization.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. This Does Not Seem Wise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>XCOM meets the Tok'ra.  Hilarity Ensues.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Vorash</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Secret Tok’ra Base</b>
</p><p>
  <b>February, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is absurd,” Tanith said, standing.  He began to walk slowly out of the Council chamber, only to be surrounded by three Tok’ra warriors with zat’nik’tels, and a very upset-looking Teal’c.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all unravelling so fast, but Tanith retained his composure.  SG-1 had killed Cronus and taken his ha’tak, and had now brought it to Vorash to transport the Stargate to a world not on the ‘Gate network, providing them a perfectly-secure base from which to continue to undermine the System Lords.  Moreover, the Tok’ra had been wise to Tanith’s duplicity from the beginning, and were now arresting him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All in all, Tanith reflected as he looked at Teal’c and flashed his eyes, this was not shaping up to be one of his better days.  “You will never escape,” he said with a bravado he didn’t entirely feel.  “The System Lords will hunt you down to the ends of the galaxy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Teal’c simply glared as the Tok’ra warriors led Tanith away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That guy is a living cliché,” Jack stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Selmak smiled in agreement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now that Tanith’s usefulness to the Tok’ra is at an end, we must decide what to do with him,” Jalen said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tanith may be Goa’uld, but Hebron is blameless,” Selmak said, making Jack jump slightly as his voice changed.  “He volunteered as a host in good faith, only to be subsumed by Tanith.  We should extract Tanith from Hebron.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The symbiote should be left behind on Vorash,” another councilor added.  “Either exposure and lack of host will kill him, or Apophis will arrive and kill him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jalen nodded.  “Anyone else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Council chamber was silent.  “All in favor?” she asked.  Every hand went up, including O’Neill’s.  “Opposed?”  No hands raised.  “Very well, the symbiote Tanith shall be removed from the host Hebron and left behind on Vorash.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a request,” Teal’c said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You may speak,” Jalen replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish to be the one to inform Tanith of the Council’s sentence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jalen nodded.  “This is agreeable to us.  You may proceed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have my gratitude.”  Teal’c left, and while “giddy” was never a word O’Neill would have used to describe the Jaffa, in that moment, if fit perfectly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, can I make a request, too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jalen visibly braced herself.  “You may.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long before you’re ready for this extraction thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A few hours, perhaps.  Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to dial up Earth, I think I know someone who’d really like to watch.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Though she never liked to leave her research behind, Dr. Vahlen had to admit that the chance to travel through the Stargate, meet some of SG-1’s alien allies, and witness firsthand a Goa’uld symbiote being removed from its host was a chance too good to pass up.  The Commander and General Hammond had coordinated a time for XCOM to hook up their DHD, and O’Neill had sent Lieutenant Kelly back to the XCOM base to escort Vahlen to Vorash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How does it feel?” Vahlen asked, standing on the ramp, looking at the shimmering, wavering surface of the wormhole generated by the Stargate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kind of like going through a blizzard, but upside down and naked,” Kelly replied.  “But you get used to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure,” Vahlen said, swallowing.  “Well, here we go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was, indeed, a novel experience, and one Vahlen was quite sure she did not wish to become accustomed to.  Colonel O’Neill was on hand to meet them at the Stargate.  “Kelly, you brought the good Doctor.  Good.  I’d like you to head to Tanith’s cell, give the Tok’ra a hand babysitting him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He gives you any lip, you zat his ass, got it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got it, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen was soon quite fascinated by the Tok’ra and their technology.  The ring transporters had some obvious limitations, but were still quite effective, and the way the Tok’ra symbiotically shared bodies with their hosts sent her scientific curiosity singing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But nothing compared to watching the Tok’ra set up the symbiote extraction apparatus.  It seemed a bit needlessly complex, but as she pestered the Tok’ra scientists for explanations, she came to understand how form followed function, and how the Tok’ra had used their knowledge of their own physiology as a weapon against their enemy.  She couldn’t help but be impressed.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Kelly arrived at Tanith’s cell just as zat blasts took down two Tok’ra.  Kelly drew her zat, and as Tanith emerged, she shot him in the back.  He crumpled to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly dragged his unconscious body back into the cell, before realizing she had no idea how to close the door, or even where the door was.  Holding her zat steady on Tanith, she began to shout.  “Help!  Need some help over here!  Goa’uld attempting escape!  Assistance from any Tok’ra greatly appreciated!”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>An hour later, the extraction apparatus was ready to go.  Tanith was hauled into the room and strapped to the upright table, the device’s track aimed square at his head.  Vahlen watched in fascination as the thick tube with its large needle moved down the track towards Tanith’s forehead.  Tanith screamed as the needle pierced his skull, his voice changing from the warbling Goa’uld bass to a normal human voice as the symbiote was extracted.  The Tok’ra Anise removed the vial containing the symbiote from the device.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will release him on the surface when we are prepared to leave,” she declared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I may,” Vahlen asked.  “How long can the symbiote survive in that enclosure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indefinitely,” Anise replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And on the surface, with no host?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Minutes.  Hours, if it is fortunate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen turned to Jack.  “Colonel, I should like to request to take the symbiote back to Earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, woah, woah, no, no.  No.  We’ve been working for four years to keep these slimy, snake-headed drama queens –“ he looked to the assembled Tok’ra – “No offense –” the Tok’ra nodded—“off of Earth.  You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> bringing one back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, Colonel, hear me out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I can learn some very valuable information by interrogating the symbiote, and dissecting it afterward may reveal many—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you think you’re going to interrogate a Goa’uld without sticking him in someone’s head?  Because you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> sticking him in someone’s head!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Once you have access to a creature’s brain, certain images can be accessed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Access to his </span>
  <em>
    <span>brain</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”  O’Neill asked incredulously.  “Just what the hell have you been </span>
  <em>
    <span>doing</span>
  </em>
  <span> down there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you kept the secret of you Asgard from us, so we have kept this from you, fearing, apparently correctly, you would not appreciate the position in which we find ourselves.  Getting information from the invaders is impossible through conventional means, so I have had to resort to unusual methods.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unusual?  If I’m hearing you right, you’re talking about torture!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would it bother you if this creature felt pain?” Vahlen asked, indicating the vial.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would not,” Teal’c replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not helping!” O’Neill shouted, then turned back to Vahlen.  “Forget it, I’m not letting you take a Goa’uld back to Earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not even if it means getting the genetic memories you prized so dearly, Colonel?” Anise asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s too dangerous.  One slip, Tanith gets inside someone else’s head, and we’ve got a disaster on our hands.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, Colonel,” Vahlen scoffed.  “We have held aliens with psychic powers, aliens that can spit clouds of poison, and aliens with built-in jet engines.  I think we can handle a ten-centimeter long snake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That just proves you can’t handle it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“O’Neill,” Teal’c said.  “Access to the Goa’uld genetic memory, even in small parts, would provide us a great tactical advantage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whose side are you on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As always, my allegiance lies with the Tau’ri.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course it does.  Forget it.  I’m not authorizing that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well.  I’ll ask your General Hammond.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead, I can tell you what he’ll say.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Doctor, I’ll take your request under advisement.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think you were going to say that, General,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dr. Vahlen makes a compelling case, Colonel.  How long before the Tok’ra are ready to move?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A few more hours to get all their gear loaded and secured on the ship, General.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well, Colonel.  I’ll be in touch as soon as I’ve made my decision.  Hammond out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The MALP transmission cut off along with the Stargate.  “Colonel Zhang, my office please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The SGC’s commanding officer and the on-site XCOM Commander went up to Hammond’s office.  “Close the door,” Hammond said as he sat down behind his desk.  Zhang closed the door, and sat down across the desk from Hammond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can Dr. Vahlen really interrogate the symbiote without putting it in a human host?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“None of our adversaries so far have proven willing or able to speak, yet Dr. Vahlen has had considerable success extracting information from them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?” Hammond asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do not understand the details of her process.  But I can tell you for certain, she gets results.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but how?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang shrugged.  “As I said, I do not understand how it all works.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel, you know something I’ve learned from my years in the Air Force and having two granddaughters?”  Zhang shook his head.  “The more someone refuses to give you a direct answer to a question, the more important it is to get one.  Now.  How does Dr. Vahlen get information from the invaders XCOM captures?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was not lying when I said I do not understand how her procedure works.  I know that it involves accessing the subject’s brain directly, and sifting through patterns, images, thoughts, and the links between them stored there.  I do not know how it works or why, but I do know it does work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond narrowed his eyes.  “Are you talking about torture?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is some discomfort for the subject, yes.  Our knowledge of alien physiology, and the radical differences in the species we’ve encountered, means we cannot adapt anesthesia for them.  But pain is not the primary motivator, rather it is – an unfortunate byproduct.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s still a little too close to torture for my liking, Colonel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You saw the news last week, General?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond nodded.  “I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you see, far removed, what we have had to deal with, the enemy we have been fighting.  We don’t know what they want from us, what they do to the people they abduct, what their ultimate goal or strategy is, or if they even have one.  You’ve seen how vicious and brutal they are, how their troops chose to gun down unarmed civilians despite the approach of armed and armored soldiers.  You are right to fear our methods, General Hammond.  But fear theirs far more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two wrongs don’t make a right, Colonel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And yet the lesser of two evils is preferable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like this,” Hammond declared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what have the Goa’uld done to our people across the millennia, out there and right here?  How many people have they killed and tortured for amusement?  How many have they doomed to be prisoners in their own bodies, watching while the parasite controlling them commits such unspeakable acts?  Were the roles reversed, would a Goa’uld hesitate to employ any means at its disposal to extract information from you?”  Hammond opened his mouth to speak, but Zhang continued.  “I have read your mission reports, I know that access to the Goa’uld genetic memory is something you have sought almost since your first trip through the Stargate.  Your hunt for the Harcesis child, your agreement to bring Tanith to the Tok’ra in the first place and let him take a host, all attempts to gain intelligence on the Goa’uld.  Now you have that opportunity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our previous attempts have only made me more cautious about the potential costs,” Hammond replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So let us speak of cost.  Yes, what Dr. Vahlen will do to the symbiote is cruel, but how much cruelty might be prevented based on what she learns?  And what she learns will be shared equally with the SGC, since you agreed to allow us to interrogate it, and with the Tok’ra, who secured the symbiote in the first place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And with the Free Jaffa,” Hammond replied.  “They were the ones who brought Shaun’auc, the Jaffa who incubated this symbiote, to us, so we could get it to the Tok’ra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Zhang replied.  “Does that gain outweigh the cost of the suffering of an enemy who would gladly see you dead?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still don’t like it, and I can’t in good conscience allow it,” Hammond stated, then sighed.  “But I can’t in good conscience pass on the possibility of what could be learned from the symbiote either.  So as you say, the lesser of two evils.  Does your Dr. Shen have enough of that alien alloy on hand to make a carrying case for the Tok’ra containment vial?  Shockproof, drop-proof, idiot-proof?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang smiled.  “If anyone can make something truly idiot-proof, it’s Dr. Shen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good.  And I’ll want three of your soldiers to accompany the case and Dr. Vahlen back through the Stargate, directly to your base, in full armor, with whatever neck protection you have or can improvise.  I won’t allow this creature the slightest possibility of taking a host on this planet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Understood, General.  You will not regret this.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Are you kidding me, General?” O’Neill roared into the MALP’s camera.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think Dr. Vahlen is entirely qualified to extract information from Tanith,” Hammond replied calmly.  “And if we can learn anything of value from him, I think it’s a risk worth taking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zhang put you up to this, didn’t he?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He did, Colonel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He did say she was going to stick things in his brain, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t say I’m entirely comfortable with her methods, no, but it’s no worse than the Goa’uld have done to us, is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t make it right, General.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m surprised to hear this argument from you, Colonel.  I’d expect to be arguing this with Doctor Jackson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just be glad I haven’t told Daniel any of this yet!  Sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond smiled.  “Understood, Colonel.  And you can bet we’ll be asking our XCOM allies some very pointed questions about where their research comes from.  But for now, in the interests of obtaining intelligence to help this planet and securing closer relations with XCOM,the Tok’ra, and the Free Jaffa, who would be interested in learning anything we do, I’m authorizing Dr. Vahlen to return to Earth with the symbiote in containment.  Soon as we’re done, XCOM will reconnect their DHD and send soldiers to you with a specially-designed case made from alien alloys, in full armor, with alloy neck protectors based on the respirator implants Shen developed to counter those Seekers that showed up last month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re gonna regret this, sir!” O’Neill shouted.  “You mark my words, we’re gonna regret this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Consider them marked, Colonel.  How goes the Tok’ra moving project?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve almost got the ship loaded,” Jack said.  “Another hour or two, we’ll be underway.  No sign Apophis knows anything’s up yet, but Jacob’s keeping on the mothership sensors, just in case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very good, Colonel.  Once the Doctor has returned to Earth, you’re clear to head to the new Tok’ra base at your discretion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will do sir.  We’re gonna regret it!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So here we have our first major divergence.  Apophis gets to live, SG-1 gets to keep the mothership, and Tanith is removed from Hebron and taken back to XCOM by Dr. Vahlen.  I told you We Have Ways was going to play into this story, and it would be a source of conflict between XCOM and SGC.  The Tok’ra have their new, secure base with Stargate, but the SGC is going to need some flying lessons for their shiny new ha’tak.</p><p>What’s Vahlen going to learn from Tanith?  The mind boggles.</p><p>The Tok’ra symbiote extraction was shown in Stargate:  Continuum.  Don’t ask me how the symbiote gets extracted through that tiny needle, but apparently it does somehow.  The Tok’ra announced their intention to leave the symbiote Tanith alive on the surface of Vorash, where he’d either die or Apophis would eventually arrive and kill him.  It made sense to me that Vahlen would like to see the extraction, and that O’Neill would think of telling her about it.  That in the episode the Tok’ra didn’t immediately remove Tanith from Hebron (allowing him to escape -&gt; summoning Apophis -&gt; blowing up the sun -&gt; stuck in another galaxy) says that setting up for extraction took some time, long enough for Dr. Vahlen to arrive.  And of course, she’d be interested in learning everything she could about a new alien lifeform, in her own, inimitable way.</p><p>Funny story:  My initial version of this chapter had Vahlen flying from the XCOM base to the SGC on the Skyranger.  Then I remembered that XCOM has the Beta 'Gate and DHD, so there's absolutely no reason she needs to go to the SGC just to use the Stargate.  Anticipating more travel between XCOM and the SGC, I was actually considering giving XCOM a second Skyranger solely for that purpose, until I realized transit between the two sites is already stupid easy ('Gate from one to the Alpha Site, 'Gate back to the other, presence or absence of DHD determining if you end up in the SGC or XCOM), and is only going to get easier in succeeding chapters.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. We Have Ways</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which we learn why she's affectionately called "Vahlen The Butcher."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>XCOM Headquarters</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Brazil, South America</b>
</p><p>
  <b>February, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Most impressive,” Anise said as she walked down the ramp leading to XCOM’s Stargate.  Engineers were already disconnecting the DHD that allowed them to arrive here, instead of the SGC.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise was lying through her host’s teeth, of course.  Tok’ra underground bases were far more elegant, comfortable, and well-lit than the dank, industrial, steel-and-concrete construction XCOM had made for themselves.  But these people had been kind enough to allow her, on behalf of the Tok’ra, to witness Tanith’s interrogation, and considering they had little reason to love aliens, Anise felt, and Freya agreed wholeheartedly, that it would be best to be as charming as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Doctor Vahlen said.  “Our alien containment facility is this way.  If you’d follow me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise kept Freya from smirking at the looks her statuesque form and choice of attire drew from the XCOM personnel they passed in the hallway.  Freya may enjoy the attention, but Anise found it all quite distracting, especially when there was important work to be done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They went down a long hall to the access lift, then up two levels and down another hall before reaching the containment chamber.  Dr. Vahlen had kept the alloy case containing Tanith’s capsule – despite repeated assurances that the Tok’ra design was completely secure – with her, and now that they entered the facility, she began to give instructions to her assistants.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will require someone in full hazmat gear to take this case into the containment chamber, open it, remove the vial inside, and open that to free the Goa’uld.  Once that’s done, restrain it completely before attaching the probes.  There will likely be a fair amount of improvisation required for the latter task.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise bowed her host’s head, closed her eyes, and Freya looked up to meet Vahlen’s gaze.  “That will not be necessary, Doctor.  Since I already have a symbiote, it would be impossible for Tanith to take control of me.  I will set up for the interrogation, if you like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen blinked.  “I’m sorry. . . that thing you did, what was that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A Tok’ra social convention, so one always knows who is speaking.  The symbiotes use the altered voice, the host speaks as a human would.  Switching control from one to the other is signified by the head nod.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fascinating,” Vahlen replied.  “But both host and symbiote are aware at all times?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the symbiote can re-assert control at any moment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya hesitated.  “Yes, Tok’ra retain all the abilities of the Goa’uld, including the ability to completely control their host.  It is a credit to them that they share control, though how much time a host is active versus the symbiote is a personal decision reached between both.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fascinating,” Vahlen repeated.  “But why would one agree to share their body and mind with an alien being?  I mean no offense, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The reasons are as individual as the hosts,” Freya replied.  “For some, taking a Tok’ra symbiote was a way to strike back against the Goa’uld who had terrorized and controlled them.  For others, it was a key to surviving a life-threatening injury or illness.  For myself, it was an opportunity to see other worlds, travel the Stargates, witness things no other human has and discover things lost for millennia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Amazing.  I could spend decades learning about your people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you were to become a host, you would learn all about us in an instant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen blushed.  “Thank you, but even my scientific curiosity has its limits.  I don’t believe I am ready for that level of commitment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was not intended as an offer or to make you uncomfortable, Doctor.  Merely an observation.  When one blends with a Tok’ra, all their knowledge and memories become yours, as yours do theirs.  I know every host Anise has had as though I have been them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen could think of far too much to say.  Instead, she said “We should begin the interrogation.  Your assistance would be most appreciated.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Following Vahlen’s instructions, carefully, Anise/Freya restrained Tanith, inserted Vahlen’s probes into the symbiote’s brain, then left the chamber.  She rejoined the Doctor as the two large arms swung out from the sides of the chamber, emitting waves of energy.  The symbiote writhed and shrieked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is the purpose of those?” Anise asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bombarding the subject with ultrasonic waves and light patterns stimulates various portions of the brain.  As we find interesting images, we can alter the frequency and intensity to attempt to keep those sections firing as long as possible, to glean more images.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fascinating,” Anise said.  “This technology is quite similar to, though much cruder and more effective than, the memory recall devices used by some Goa’uld and Tok’ra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Memory recall devices?” Vahlen asked, eyes on the screens.  Yes, data was starting to come through now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A small probe is attached to the subject’s temple, accessing the brain, which amplifies neural activity related to memory.  It can be projected holographically, or simply used to help the subject recall memories in the privacy of their own minds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you say mine is more effective?” Vahlen said, a hint of pride shining in her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Goa’uld device requires the subject to be willing, to allow another to talk them down pathways to memories, and it cannot isolate and extract specific ones unless the subject is able to trace them down within their own mind.  If the subject resists, they can prevent memories from being recalled, or at least leaked to the device itself.  Your method forces information out of the mind, regardless of the subject’s cooperation.  I wonder if the two technologies might be merged,” Anise concluded, almost to herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We shall have to compare notes.  If you could obtain one of these devices for me – and help me understand its function – we could perhaps increase the effectiveness of our own interrogations.  Or at least, prolong the process and extract more information from the subject before they expire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Death is the inevitable result of your procedure, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So far,” Vahlen said, her voice giving no indication she had any feeling about it one way or the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the procedure causes significant discomfort to the subject?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  Our knowledge of alien physiology is insufficient to anesthetize them, and truth be told, I fear it would hamper the effectiveness of the technique if they were to be numb to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A fitting end for a Goa’uld, then.  Giving its life to grant knowledge to those it preys upon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something flitted across the screen.  “There!  Doctor Krieger, keep on that pathway.  I think I spotted something very interesting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Doctor,” the man controlling the chamber’s arms replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One of several local scientists assigned to us when the Project began,” Vahlen explained offhandedly.  “He is quite skilled at this, helping me gain a great deal of information very quickly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite so,” Anise replied.  “I believe, as you Tau’ri would say, you have hit jackdirt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen struggled not to laugh.  “I think you mean ‘the jackpot,’ or ‘pay dirt’.  Though truthfully, I do not know the significance of what I’m seeing here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” Anise replied.  “You have accessed critical portions of the Goa’uld genetic memory, dealing with the operation of technology that requires naquadah-infused blood to form a connection to the host’s nervous system.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I read your species had naquadah as part of your biochemistry.  I should very much like to ask you more about it later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you wish, Doctor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, this. . . oh, yes, I can see how this could be quite useful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And this here. . . I did not even know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed, we have hit the paydirt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Half an hour later, Tanith gave one last, prolonged squeal, and went limp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen smiled at Anise.  “The dissection should be almost as fascinating as this.  Would you care to assist me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Certainly, Doctor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll have to wear a hazmat suit.  XCOM regulations when dealing with extraterrestrial bodily fluids.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are a guest in your base, Doctor, and shall follow your rules.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent.  Then, if you’ll follow me?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, I wasn’t originally going to do this, but comments over at Spacebattles about the Tok’ra wanting to watch Tanith’s interrogation got my mind spinning.  So this is all their fault.</p><p>Anise/Freya seemed like the logical character to include here, since I really don’t know what else I want to do with her long term (she kind of quietly vanished from the show once the producers realized they didn’t need a Seven of Nine expy, but I think I want to keep her around, because. . . well, because Vanessa Angel.  Shut up.)  She and Doctor Vahlen actually got along surprisingly well.</p><p>There’s an interesting bit of irony with the Tok’ra.  They care more about preserving their own symbiotes than the hosts, which makes sense, because if the host dies but the symbiote lives, it can take a new host and preserve all the old host’s memories.  If the symbiote dies, then all it was and could be is gone.  With the Goa’uld, they have no problems with horrible things being done to the symbiotes (witness episode 6.10 “Cure”, where the Tok’ra had absolutely no objection to a Goa’uld queen and all her young being essentially tortured and turned into almost-literal snake oil until they found out it was actually their queen).  But they’re rather conscientious about saving Goa’uld hosts where possible, though they readily admit it isn’t always possible and a lot of hosts are likely to be so damaged by their time under control that killing them is a mercy.  This also makes sense, since it’s the actual symbiote doing all the bad things, and the host is just as much a victim as anyone else.  One of those neat little things that makes me actually really like the Tok’ra.</p><p>So it makes sense the Tok’ra in general and Anise specifically have absolutely zero qualms about what Vahlen is doing here, and Anise is actually rather complimentary of her technique.  Vahlen’s approach is rather similar to the Memory Recall Devices, but an oft-noted problem with them is that the subject has to be willing to go along for the ride.  Which is why, in the first appearance of the devices, Hathor created the elaborate deception that SG-1 had been cryogenically frozen for ages, so they’d go along with the memory probe.  If they’d known initially Hathor had been doing it, they all would have clammed up.  But perhaps, with the Tok’ra device and Vahlen’s tenacity, they get something even better going. . . </p><p>Doctor Krieger is a minor shout-out to a show that’s shouted-out back to Stargate.  Between We Have Ways and the XCOM South American HQ being in Brazil, I couldn’t resist.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Operation Starfury</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which they talk some more.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Alpha Site</b>
</p><p>
  <b>P3X-984</b>
</p><p>
  <b>March, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eight Tok’ra, carrying four large crates between them, stepped through the Stargate, which shut down after their transit was completed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, campers!” O’Neill declared.  “Welcome to the Alpha Site!  The next wormhole for XCOM HQ leaves in—” the Stargate powered up with its characteristic </span>
  <em>
    <span>kawoosh</span>
  </em>
  <span> as Carter finished dialing “—right now.  Everyone proceeding to XCOM, please enter the Stargate now.  Brace yourselves for machismo, big guns, and deplorable ethics breaches.  Thank you for travelling Alpha Site Gates, enjoy your day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four of the Tok’ra entered the Stargate with their crates, wondering once again what they’d done to deserve an ally like Jack O’Neill of the Tau’ri.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we are to accompany you to the SGC?” one of the Tok’ra, Thellas, asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep,” O’Neill said.  “We have to give XCOM ten minutes to get the DHD unhooked, then we head on back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Understood, Colonel.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Back at the SGC, O’Neill handed off the Tok’ra to Sergeant Siler, who helped get them set up for their task.  An hour later, SG-1 was back in the briefing room with Hammond and Zhang, video conferencing with Dr. Shen, Dr. Vahlen and Anise/Freya, and Bradford at the XCOM HQ.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Construction of the ring transporter chamber is proceeding,” Shen said.  “Though the Tok’ra are doing the bulk of the work themselves.  They have not forbidden my engineers from helping, but they have also not given them anything to do, so they’re just watching.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, the Tok’ra are like that,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ring installation is a very delicate process,” Anise replied.  “Our engineers have significant experience at this, yours do not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So walk us through it so we can start getting experience,” Jack snapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is not so simple, Colonel.  The—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t exactly why we’re all here,” Hammond said.  “Once the Tok’ra have the ring platforms installed in the SGC and XCOM HQ, we can move people between both facilities and Cronus’ mothership very easily.  But for now, I believe there were other matters requiring our attention.  Dr. Vahlen, would you like to start with what you were able to learn from Tanith?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, General.  Many of the images we got were of no use—memories of civilizations being oppressed, innocent humans killed or tortured or otherwise made to suffer for amusement, that sort of thing.  However, we were able to isolate a few significant portions of memory, giving us a deeper understanding of how Goa’uld technology works, and how we might begin adapting it.  Moreover, during the symbiote’s dissection and sequencing, we discovered a number of other interesting things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then Tanith is dead?” Teal’c asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite.  No one organ remains attached to any other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” Teal’c replied with deep satisfaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As for what we discovered—” Vahlen tapped on her computer, and below her on the monitor, a DNA-like sequence appeared.  “This is a specific portion of Goa’uld genetic memory, specifically dealing with their ability to control technology through enhancing the host body’s bioelectric field via naquadah interaction.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes,” Jack said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s what allows a Goa’uld or Tok’ra, or a former host, to use a Goa’uld device,” Carter said.  “You’ve isolated it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed.  Using our genetics lab and the Meld substance we’ve recovered from the invaders, it would be possible to add this genetic sequence to a human, granting them, with a small naquadah infusion, the ability to use Goa’uld technology with almost no training.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel leaned forward.  “And what’s the probability of them turning evil and trying to kill everyone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doctor Vahlen shook her head.  “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Doctor Jackson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said it yourself, most of the images you got from this process were of violent oppression of humans.  Goa’uld have centuries, millennia, of those memories transmitted to them by the queen who spawned them.  The weight of all that cruelty is just too much for the human mind to bear.  Giving those memories would effectively turn someone into a Goa’uld.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is no recollection associated with this portion of genetic memory, Doctor Jackson,” Anise replied.  “It is simple knowledge, nothing more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, a powerful being of pure thought couldn’t separate the memories from the knowledge, what makes you think you can?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This being you speak of must not have been practiced at genetic manipulation,” Doctor Vahlen replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise bowed her head, and Freya raised it.  “Trust me, I would not consent to allow Doctor Vahlen to proceed if I felt there was the slightest risk to any subject of this treatment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack nodded.  “Yes, because your last experiment turned out </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you like me to apologize again, Colonel O’Neill?” Freya asked earnestly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That won’t be necessary,” Hammond interrupted, before Jack could say something scathingly unhelpful.  “But I have to say, Doctor, I share Doctor Jackson’s concerns.  I’d advise extreme caution about applying this modification to your troops.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I wasn’t planning to,” Vahlen replied.  “I thought you would find it useful.  You have more cause to interact with Goa’uld technology than we do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Hammond said carefully.  “We’ll take it under advisement, Doctor, thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise spoke once more.  “We also recovered significant data on Goa’uld technology in general.  We’re preparing it as a manual that should give your people a basic working knowledge of most common Goa’uld devices.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now that sounds useful,” Daniel replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have anything else for us, Doctor Vahlen?” Hammond asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not at the moment.  My team is still looking into the information provided by Thor, and we suspect there might be some very interesting turning points included for our own research, but so far we have not discovered anything of note.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well, keep us posted.  Doctor Shen, how are things proceeding on your end?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite well, General,” Shen replied.  “Our study of the Asgard information has led us to the conclusion that we cannot – quite – produce the alien alloy on Earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The components must be heated to an intense temperature for the requisite bonds to form, and they cannot form evenly in a gravity field.  The alloy can only be produced in space.  We currently do not have the capacity to construct an orbital forge that would produce the alloys in any significant quantity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet,” Carter countered.  “Once the rings are installed here and in your base, we can transport anything that’ll fit in them up to Cronus’ ha’tak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The ha’tak has its own artificial gravity, however,” Shen pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but the difficulty in getting things into orbit has always been breaking out of Earth’s gravity well,” Carter explained.  “Once materials are up there, they can be maneuvered about very easily.  NASA’s had an idea for a kind of ‘orbital forklift’ that they just haven’t had the resources to make, or a reason to make any.  With access to a pre-existing orbital platform and easy transportation up to it, they’d probably be more than happy to test it out building us a space forge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re talking about the Starfury program,” Shen replied thoughtfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Starfury?” Jack asked.  “That’s a cool name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is from </span>
  <em>
    <span>Babylon 5</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Teal’c replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm.  We’ll see what we can arrange.  In the meantime, I’ve found a workaround based on what we can accomplish on Earth.  A trinium-naquadah alloy could replace the alien alloy in most of our constructions, at a cost of efficiency, but it's easily forged here on Earth.  I’ve drawn up plans for a Mark 3 line of laser weapons using this alloy, and prototypes allow for similar damage output to our own lasers, though at an increase in waste heat and a 20% reduction in battery capacity.  Since the liquid naquadah power cells already provide at least a thousand shots for our Mark 2 lasers, we consider this an acceptable tradeoff.  A few more days of testing here, and we can forward the plans to Area 51 for fabrication.  The SGC should receive new laser weapons to replace their existing ballistics by the end of the month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Awesome,” O’Neill crowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m also working on designs for magnetic-based weapons, for use against enemies like the Replicators where energy weapons are ineffective.  Still very preliminary.  I’ve also completed design and testing of a lightweight armor to complement our Carapace system, the Skeleton Suit.  It can withstand one hit from a Staff Weapon without being compromised, though subsequent blasts will penetrate.  This is using the alien alloy, of course.  Using the trinium-naquadah alloy, a single staff blast will cause damage to the wearer, but it should be survivable.  I can send you the specs, I think you’d like them for your SG teams.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be appreciated, Doctor, thank you,” Hammond replied.  “But I thought your bottleneck for laser weapons were the power cells?  We haven’t been able to recover enough for you to outfit all our teams.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, sir,” Carter stepped in.  “But Harlan’s facility on Altair can easily refine liquid naquadah and construct the power cells for us.  We just need to get them a stable source.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Abydos?”  Zhang asked.  “It has active naquadah mines, does it not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It does,” O’Neill said warily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The people of Abydos are friendly,” Hammond added.  “I don’t think it would be a smart move asking them to mine naquadah for us like they did for Ra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, but that’s just the point, General,” Zhang countered.  “We </span>
  <em>
    <span>ask</span>
  </em>
  <span> them.  Those who want to mine can, those who do not do not have to.  In addition, we compensate them for their labor with technology, supplies, luxury items, whatever can be considered fair recompense.  That is your capitalist ideal, yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That could work,” Hammond replied cautiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your diplomatic team, SG-9, should be able to work out an accord that benefits all.  And SG-11 can bring them better equipment to mine with and instruct them in its safe operation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond paused.  “Very well,” he said after giving it some thought.  “I’ll send SG-9 to see if the Abydonians are interested in our proposal and to start preliminary negotiations.  But if they aren’t, we’ll find our naquadah elsewhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, General.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, then,” Bradford said.  “Looks like we’re making real progress.  Now what about this mothership SG-1 captured?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond nodded.  “The Tok’ra are sending a pilot to fly it on our behalf, and start teaching us how to successfully operate it.  I’ve contacted Master Bra’tac to see if he knows a rebel Jaffa who can help us with the weapons.  The Goa’uld flight controls are meant to be used by a Goa’uld or Jaffa, and we don’t have the time, resources, or knowledge to replace them with USAF standard, even if there was such a thing for a ship that big.  We’re working on getting a crew together to staff other positions on the ship along with a commanding officer, but the secrecy of the Stargate Program makes it slow going.  Still, I think she’ll be ready in a month or so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And have we thought of a name?” Bradford asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll be putting it to a vote,” Hammond replied.  “Anyone in XCOM or the SGC can submit a suggestion, and then anyone in both organizations can vote.  Simple majority wins.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll let my people know,” Bradford replied, then smiled.  “That’ll certainly be a rude awakening for the next UFO who slips our interceptors.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond chuckled.  “That it will.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, yeah, it’s another “drawing room scene.”  Or “briefing room scene.”  Or. . . well, it’s some one kind of a scene set in a room.  But after the promise of what XCOM/SGC cooperation could lead to in the first chapters, I felt it was the right time to start paying that off.  In the next few chapters, the SGC will start getting L3 laser weapons and Mark 2 Skeleton Suits.  Not made from alien alloys, so not as advanced as what XCOM is using, but a lot better than what they’ve got.  And yes, I’ve knuckled to pressure and started Shen working on magnetic weapons.  Because Replicators don’t give a shit about lasers.</p><p>Given the technology of Harlan’s complex on Altair, it seemed to make sense that they’d have no problem refining liquid naquadah and making power cells for the Tau’ri.  Mining Abydos’ naquadah makes sense, even though I’m pretty sure Earth had some kind of naquadah access at this point, since the Prometheus used a trinium-naquadah alloy in its hull, and work probably started on it around this time.  Of course, this also means they have access to a trinium mine.</p><p>Vahlen learning to give people the ability to work Goa’uld technology from interrogating/dissecting Tanith made sense with the way EW handles gene mods, so to those of you who guessed that was going to happen, congratulations.  Of course, Daniel has had relatively recent experience with the burden of Goa’uld genetic memory, and he’s not going to readily believe that Vahlen can accomplish something Oma Desala could not.  Whether or not Vahlen is as successful as she and Anise/Freya believe, well, we’ll see.  Anise/Freya’s previous experiment was detailed in episode 4.03 “Upgrades.”</p><p>Yes, I’m making it even easier to move characters between the SGC and XCOM.  Ring up from one to Cronus’ ha’tak, then ring down to the other.  The rings have to have some kind of coordinate designation system or something, since one given set of rings has been seen to be able to connect to any other given set of rings if they’re in range.  Heck, SG-1 intercepted a ring transport between two different ships in episode 3.13 “The Devil You Know.”</p><p>Anise is sticking around with XCOM for now, because I just love her and Vahlen as “Science Sisters.”</p><p>Now, here’s a really cool story, which some of you may know.  J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, was contacted by NASA while the show was in production, who told him they’d been working on a design for a “space forklift,” and the best design they could think of was the Aurora-class Starfury, so they wanted permission to crib from his design.  He agreed, under the condition that, when the craft were built, they would be called “Starfuries.”  Sadly, there’s been no word on the project in years, so its status is impossible to determine.  But here, in my shared SG-1/XCOM universe, the Starfury lives.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. What's In A Name?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which awkward conversations ensue.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Stargate Command</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, USA</b>
</p><p>
  <b>April, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Receiving Tok’ra IDC,” Sergeant Harriman said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open the iris,” Hammond ordered, then proceeded down the stairs from the control room to the ‘Gate room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The iris retracted from in front of the Stargate, and a tall, lean man with sharp features stepped through, wearing the typical roughspun attire of the Tok’ra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to the SGC,” Hammond said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, General,” the man said in a human voice.  “I am Hebron of the Tok’ra, and I’m here to help you with your new mothership.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The assistance is greatly appreciated,” Hammond replied.  “Though I must admit, I’m a little surprised the Tok’ra would send you, or that you still count yourself among them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am of the Tok’ra,” Hebron replied.  “Lantash is with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lantash?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The symbiote once hosted by Martouf.”  Hebron hesitated.  “Lantash would like to apologize for the unpleasantness the last time he was here, and assures you no remnant of za’tarc programming remains in either of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s – good,” Hammond said, unsure of the courtesies involved in speaking to two people in one body.  “Well, uh – tell Lantash it’s good to see him again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He concurs, General.  I understand you have transport rings set up in the SGC?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do.  Right this way.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Aboard the ha’tak, SG-1 waited near the ring room, O’Neill wandering impatiently.  “When’s this Tok’ra pilot going to get here, anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any minute now, Jack,” Daniel said wearily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know anything about him?  Her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” Daniel replied.  “The Tok’ra just said they’d find us someone qualified to help us pilot the ship and instruct us in its technology.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think we can’t do it ourselves?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you know the Tok’ra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “Though I have to admit, they’ve got a point.  I mean, I only barely understand the principle behind half of this stuff.  The rest I’m just as clueless as you are, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Carter, I doubt you could ever be as clueless as I am,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of transport rings engaging cut off the conversation.  Moments later, a familiar figure stepped out of the ring room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hebron!” Carter said.  “I’m surprised to see you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron smiled.  “I am a bit surprised to be here myself.  But Lantash is quite familiar with the operations of ha’tak-class vessels.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lantash?” Carter asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  The Tok’ra were able to save Lantash from Martouf’s death, and he has been awaiting a new host since.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course they did,” O’Neill said disapprovingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron let the comment slide.  “I understand I’ll be piloting the ship on your behalf, while you supply the necessary crew?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the plan,” Daniel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I am pleased to assist you in protecting your world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am pleased to see you are well, Hebron,” Teal’c said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Teal’c.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t mind my asking,” Daniel began hesitantly.  “I’m a little surprised you’d agree to be a host again after what happened with Tanith.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron shifted uncomfortably.  “My time with Tanith was – difficult.  And I confess to a great deal of reluctance to agree to being host for another Tok’ra.  But I pledged myself to the Tok’ra for good reasons, and those reasons have not changed.  Lantash has been a great source of comfort and support as I process what happened.  The fact that Tanith was used against the Goa’uld and accomplished nothing in his short life is also a balm to those wounds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m still not getting it,” O’Neill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t expect you to, Colonel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad we got that straight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The ship is in working order?” Hebron asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “So far as we can tell.  Some of the other Tok’ra took a look after they got the rings installed at the SGC and XCOM, and I think they’re sending another technical team in a day or so to check it out more thoroughly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is my understanding as well,” Hebron replied.  “And have you given the ship a name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We voted on it,” O’Neill replied.  “We’re going with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Appropriate,” Hebron stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am disappointed my suggestion was not received with greater seriousness,” Teal’c declared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Teal’c,” Carter replied.  “But we can’t name it the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Millennium Falcon</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Teal’c said discontentedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron decided it wasn’t important enough to ask them to explain what they were talking about.  “I would like to inspect the control systems,” he said.  “Unless you need anything else from me at the moment, I’ll head up to the pel’tak.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By all means,” Jack said.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Hebron pulled himself out from under the flight control station.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything okay?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Major Carter, I didn’t hear you come in.  Yes, everything’s fine.  I wanted to check the flight controls before attempting to pilot the vessel, in case anything was wrong, but nothing is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dad didn’t have any problems getting it here,” Sam observed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True.  Though Selmac is not among the best pilots the Tok’ra have to offer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t let him hear you say that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron smiled.  “Of course not.”  His smile faded.  “Major Carter, while I have you here—” he looked around the pel’tak, making sure they were alone.  “I wanted to speak with you privately.  I have the memories of Lantash, and those of his prior hosts, including Martouf.  I’m aware of the relationship you shared, and I want to let you know, before there can be any misunderstandings, that I am not emotionally ready to attempt to resume your previous association.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter blinked.  “Uh, we didn’t – exactly – have a previous association.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something was developing between the two of you.  Whatever it was, whatever it might have been, I cannot be part of it at the moment.  I’m still recovering from my experiences as host to Tanith.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter stumbled a few times before closing her mouth.  Hebron was reading the situation wrong, she was fairly certain, but any attempt she might make to correct him seemed to have a great chance of making a bad situation worse.  “Well, I can certainly understand that,” she said at last.  “Take all the time you need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was awkward silence for several moments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what are you planning to do with that?” Hebron asked, motioning to Cronus’ marble throne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea.  I think we could probably bust it up and sell the marble fragments for some more wiggle room in the budget, Daniel thinks we should take it to Area 51 and keep it in good shape for the time when all this becomes public and we can put it in a museum, Teal’c thinks we should blast it to dust, and Colonel O’Neill wants to put it in his office.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron smiled.  “That does sound like Colonel O’Neill.  But the others are all, in their own way, sound options.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.  We’re just pretty sure that whoever we find to actually command this ship will want something a little more comfortable and a little less ostentatious.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Over the course of the next day, Hebron tested the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s flight controls, doing a quick orbit of Earth, settling the ship in synchronous orbit above the SGC and XCOM HQ, and then taking it out to Earth’s moon and back again.  Satisfied that everything was performing adequately, he watched as the Tau’ri scientists and engineers looked over the ship’s systems, advising them on what was and was not safe to go poking around in.  Before too long, the Tok’ra scientists arrived, and then the Tau’ri actually started to learn things.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another quick, boring chapter.  But the ha’tak has a name, and a pilot!</p><p>Martouf/Lantash was the Tok’ra who was romantically involved with Jolinar and her previous host, before Jolinar was forced to jump into Samantha Carter and later died.  Martouf was killed when he was revealed to be a za’tarc in episode 4.05 “Divide and Conquer”, and Carter had to zat him twice to stop him.  Lantash survived, as revealed in episode 5.15 “Summit”, where he eventually took Lieutenant Elliot as a host, and they both died in the next episode.  Here, Lantash has been bonded to Hebron, who was recently freed from the control of Tanith.  Hebron’s still got some baggage relating to that, and Lantash is helping him through it.  It’s a relationship I think I can get a lot of mileage out of, it’s very interesting.</p><p>Eagle-eyed readers are probably noting that I’m advancing time quite quickly now.  Since “Exodus” was the Season 4 finale, there was a four-month hiatus in real-time before the cliffhanger was resolved at the start of Season 5.  So I’m moving through those months pretty quickly, to start getting back into Season 5 proper.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. All About That Base</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which XCOM has fun storming the castle.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Alien Base</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Sahara Desert, Africa</b>
</p><p>
  <b>April, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Delta 2 advanced to the large, glowing door at the end of the corridor, suppressing the shivers this place was giving him.  When they’d breached the base, they’d seen some kind of tanks holding the remains – at least Torres </span>
  <em>
    <span>hoped</span>
  </em>
  <span> they were remains – of abducted humans.  There was a low, deep, humming buzz, almost more felt than heard, that set Torres’ teeth on edge, and an occasional high-pitched warble that he was afraid was an intruder alert.  Between the gaps of floors and walkways, massive structures apparently supported the base, but pulsed and flowed like living tentacles the size of semi trucks.  Whatever the aliens were doing down here, Torres and his squad were of a mind to put an end to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Emily “Freestyle” Walker joined him at the door, her Scatter Laser held high against her chest.  Delta 2 checked behind, squinting to pierce the gloom of the dimly-lit base, to see if the rest of the squad were in position for the breach.  Donna “Smokes” Brown had her laser rifle braced on a piece of alien equipment, and farther behind, Farid “Fastlane” Sadr had his laser sniper rifle trained on the door.  Just behind and to either side of Delta 2 and Freestyle, under no cover whatsoever, were the Australians William “Striker” Anderson and Beth “Eureka” Hughes, their massive railguns at the ready.  MECTs had no need of cover.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Delta 2 nodded, and touched the door, which shimmered and retracted into its frame.  Startled, a pod of Thin Men began breaking for cover, only to be cut down as they ran into the darkened hallway when the squad opened fire.  Where the alien metals making up the base reflected the light from the lasers or the base’s lighting directly, they were painfully dazzling in the otherwise murky corridors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres led the squad deeper into the base, working slowly, covering their flanks at all times.  The aliens were slippery bastards, and Delta 2 didn’t want to lose more people from pincer attacks.  He was just being cautious, he told himself firmly.  The bizarre alien architecture and inhuman oppressiveness of the place were </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> getting to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they moved deeper into the base, the Thin Men and Sectoids gave way to Seekers.  After eliminating the third group, they came across some kind of table or bench with a strange object on it, emitting pulses of light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that what the aliens do for entertainment?” Shen asked over the comms.  “At least they’re not playing computer games.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d recommend staying away from that device,” Vahlen added.  “It looks similar to something the SGC encountered, very addictive, very dangerous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I doubt the devices are related, Doctor,” Freya replied.  “It would be a rather large coincidence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still, I prefer the troops to be cautious in the field.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The squad moved on, coming to an area filled with some kind of automated medical or surgical pods, containing the gruesome remains of the aliens’ experiments on people.  Smokes glared at them, disgusted, and Fastlane retched, but did not vomit.  Moving through the large, dim chamber, they also encountered small robotic drones armed with light beam weapons, which were no threat, and a large, disc-shaped robotic enemy, which posed a rather significant one.  Torres was stunned when the disc opened up into a large, multi-limbed form with multiple plasma weapons, a single shot of which almost melted clean through Striker’s MEC.  Flipping his Heavy Laser to “hi-burn” – more effective at destroying metal but dangerous to the laser if overused – he fired at the machine, the high-heat laser beam melting through its alloy armor.  In response, the disc closed back up again, but Freestyle finished it off with a rapid pair of shots from her Scatter Laser.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The map made from the subsurface scan the satellite had obtained, while very vague, showed they were nearing the end of the base when they were swarmed by Chryssalids.  Fortunately, the MECs were on point, and Striker thinned the herd with his flamethrower while Eureka punted one across the room with her Kinetic Strike Module.  The rest of the squad picked off the survivors, and they moved into the final chamber.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A tall, silver object, looking to Torres’ eyes like a bad piece of modern art, dominated the far end of the chamber, and a different, yet familiar-looking Sectoid darted behind it for cover.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, old friend,” Delta 2 muttered to himself as he crouched behind a low wall.  “Got us a score to settle.  Fastlane, see if you can wing him.  Freestyle, zat his ass.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fastlane darted into the chamber, pulling his laser pistol, and caught the even-bigger-headed Sectoid in the gut with the bolt.  Freestyle worked around the other side of the chamber, and the Sectoid Commander reached out with its psionic power and grabbed hold of Smokes’ mind.  She was just turning her laser rifle to shoot Delta 2 in the back when Freestyle nailed the Sectoid Commander with a long shot from her zat, knocking it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smokes immediately pointed the muzzle of her laser rifle at the ground.  She’d been aware of what she was doing, but utterly unable to control her actions.  She’d read the SGC reports about the Goa’uld, how they took humans as hosts and controlled them completely.  Being unable to stop herself from trying to shoot a comrade in the back, even if it had been for all of two seconds before the control was broken, had been a living nightmare.  She couldn’t imagine the horror of being a prisoner in your own body for hundreds or thousands of years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think that is?” Fastlane asked, motioning to the device the Sectoid Commander had been protecting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea,” Delta 2 replied.  “But I bet Vahlen and her new girlfriend will figure it out right quick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do another sweep of the base, Strike 1,” Bradford said over their comms.  “Recovery teams are en route, and we don’t want them to run into any surprises.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy that, Central,” Torres confirmed.  “All right, let’s make sure we didn’t miss anything.  Box of Twinkies to anyone who does find something and put it down.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Have you ever seen anything like this before?” Vahlen asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have not,” Anise replied, examining the readings the strange device was putting off.  “It does not correspond to any faster-than-light communications technology used by the Goa’uld.  We should notify the SGC, that they might contact the Asgard to ask if it is familiar to them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen reached out to touch the device, then thought better of it.  “I am greatly looking forward to seeing what we can learn from it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As am I, Doctor,” Anise replied.  “But our work on the invaders’ propulsion systems is still ongoing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I would suggest we interrogate the new captive as soon as possible.  I am quite curious to see what we can learn from it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen smiled.  “As am I.  Whatever psionic power this creature wields, it goes against everything we currently understand about the universe.  Discovering the source of its power has implications far behind potentially harnessing it for our own use.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite so,” Anise replied.  “I find the work you’re doing here to be incredibly exciting.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, this is the Alien Base Assault.  I didn’t want to write it as a blow-by-blow, because you can just play EU again to experience that, so I tried to focus on the atmosphere.  Thanks to bullethead for some help with that.  Zats make stunning aliens, especially the Sectoid Commander in the base, so much easier.  The area is big and open enough that getting close enough to use the Arc Thrower before one of your mind controlled troops kills someone or is killed is really frustrating.</p><p>The Hyperwave Beacon you nab from the base seems completely different from anything seen in SG-1, so I’m confident calling it a completely different technology.  As for the Alien Entertainment, it does look rather similar to the problem-causing device in episode 4.18 “The Light”, though whether they are the same, related, or completely different is up for debate.  And yeah, Anise/Freya had to hang a lampshade on some of the coincidental technological similarities going on.</p><p>The two Austrailian MEC Troopers are another shout-out.  I couldn’t resist.</p><p>And now XCOM has a Sectoid Commander to interrogate and dissect.  Good times.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. A Bigger Boat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which we talk some more, now about Big, Honkin' Space Guns.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Stargate Command</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado</b>
</p><p>
  <b>May, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>SG-1, Hammond, and Zhang sat in the briefing room, watching Major Davis go over a slide show of his vacation pictures.  Actually, plans and diagrams and schematics and technical stuff related to projects under development by XCOM and the SGC, though Jack liked to call them vacation pictures.  It made Davis’ face do that flat, nonresponsive thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve recovered one sarcophagus from Cronus’ mothership,” Davis said.  “It’s currently at Area 51 undergoing study.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure that’s wise?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re well aware of the side effects, Doctor Jackson, but the technology is just too valuable to ignore completely, which is why it’s at Area 51 being studied.”  O’Neill opened his mouth.  “And your reports are being given considerable weight, which is why it’s not being installed for use at the SGC or XCOM HQ.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The negative side effects also only seem to occur when used at full health, not by someone injured or being returned from the recently dead,” Davis said, keeping his face and voice even.  He privately enjoyed some of the truly ludicrous things his job let him say with a straight face, because he was, after all, being completely honest and serious about them.  “More research is required to establish if a safe protocol for use can be implemented.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davis advanced to another slide.  “We also recovered twenty-four Goa’uld Death Gliders, which are being broken down and shipped to Area 51, where they’ll be dismantled completely for raw materials.  We also recovered two cargo ships, which we’re currently deciding what to do with.  A lack of skilled pilots for Goa’uld spacecraft is a problem.  Which brings us to—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A different image appeared.  “Dr. Vahlen’s Goa’uld Technology Operation Gene Mod.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> is a good idea?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Again, we’re aware of the risks, but again, the potential makes it too valuable to ignore.  The plan is to begin testing with one volunteer, closely monitored on a daily basis.  Dr. Vahlen assures us that, should anything go wrong, she can remove the modification in only two days with a small amount of Meld, which XCOM is setting aside specifically for that purpose.  Any negative personality traits begin to emerge, the volunteer will be sedated and the gene mod removed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And who’s this volunteer?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t know yet.  We’re still screening crew candidates for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”  Davis brought up another slide.  “We have engineers working on it to install our radio communications gear aboard, so we can send secure, encrypted transmissions.  They’re also working on making the crew quarters and common spaces a bit more comfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another slide.  “Until we have the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> staffed and ready to go, our aerospace defense rests solely with XCOM’s fleet of Raven Interceptors.  They’ve been retrofitted with a laser cannon based on the work of Doctors Vahlen and Shen on XCOM’s handheld lasers.  It’s shorter range than our typical air-to-air missiles, but packs more firepower and is more capable of penetrating the armor of invader craft.  It’s still not going to be highly effective against a Goa’uld mothership, but should handle Death Gliders just fine.  For our part, we’re working on this.”  Another new image.  “The X-302 Aerospace Interceptor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” O’Neill said loudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Colonel?” Davis asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel O’Neill believes you will ask us to test pilot this craft,” Teal’c said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davis nodded.  “I can understand your reluctance, Colonel.  But the X-302 currently only exists as blueprints, so there’s no need to worry.  The X-302 will be designed from the ground-up using Earth-made components, though based on our understanding of alien technology.  Using the materials scavenged from the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s Death Gliders, the engineers at Area 51 think they can cut the development time by at least six months.  Current plan is for a standard jet engine, with a rocket booster for spaceflight capability, though if they get the Goa’uld propulsion system figured out in time, that will definitely change.  Using the data transmitted to us by Thor, we’re also developing a plasma damping field we’ll be able to install in our future aerospace craft.  Not an energy shield per se, but something that saps the energy out of plasma weapons directed at the craft, reducing the amount of damage they’re capable of doing.  In conjunction with the X-302’s naquadah-trinium alloy hull, it should be able to take a direct hit from anything short of a mothership’s guns without being destroyed.  Armament will be one laser cannon, able to be upgraded to a plasma cannon when XCOM cracks the invaders’ plasma weapons technology, with four Avalanche missiles in underwing racks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not going to be anywhere near enough firepower for a mothership,” Carter noted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right, Major.  The initial mission statement of the X-302 was to create a craft capable of engaging and destroying attacking Goa’uld motherships beyond our atmosphere, but with the work XCOM is doing, its role has been changed to a dedicated interceptor.”  Another slide.  “This will be our offensive platform going forward.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill whistled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Firestorm, developed by XCOM from their knowledge of invader spacecraft.  Initially, the design called for an elerium power source from one of their UFOs, as well as alien flight computer technology.  Dr. Shen has figured out that using four of our naquadah reactors in place of the elerium reactor will provide the same power output, and as we’re learning more about the systems on the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>, we can manufacture something at least as advanced as what the invaders are using, if not quite up to the level of the Goa’uld.  As a result, XCOM plans to, over the next year, phase out their Raven interceptor for Firestorms, and more will be manufactured for us.  The eventual plan is for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> to house two squadrons of production model 302s and one squadron of Firestorms.  With the plasma damping field and alien alloy hull, the Firestorm could take a direct hit from a mothership without losing flight integrity, though it would be heavily damaged.  The spaceframe design precludes mounting multiple weapons systems, so it will have a pair of laser cannons, which XCOM are hoping to upgrade to plasma cannons before the changeover is complete.  Shen projects the first Firestorm should be ready in six months.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davis brought up a new picture.  “The X-303.  Schematics are still being finalized, but the spaceframe has begun construction.  Earth’s first truly interstellar spacecraft, and the first ship that, we hope, can meet a Goa’uld mothership on roughly equal terms.  It is going to be significantly smaller than a mothership, but we’re planning to pack a lot of firepower and resiliency on it.  The main hull will be naquadah-trinium alloy, with an alien alloy plating for additional protection.  Current weapons plans are for 24 point-defense railguns, 24-point defense laser cannons, 12 heavy ship-to-ship lasers, and 12 missile silos containing naquadah-enhanced nuclear missiles.  We’re hoping the lasers can drain a mothership’s shields enough for the missiles to get through and deliver a kill shot, though it should be noted the X-303 is more of a proof-of-concept testbed.  Based on what we learn from its construction and performance, the production model BC-303 will likely be very different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” Daniel said.  “That’s – that’s a lot of stuff that goes boom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I fear even these plans would not be adequate to defend this world from a concerted Goa’uld attack, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And none of this is rolling off the drawing board for the next six months to a year at best,” Davis replied.  “For now, the Protected Planets Treaty and the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> are all we have, and the former does us no good against the Sectoid invaders.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> can’t detect them, either,” Hammond observed.</span>
  <span>“Not yet.  The invaders use some kind of stealth technology we’re unfamiliar with, but XCOM’s satellite network can pick them up with a gravitational sensor that homes in on their drives.  We’re adapting one to be installed on the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>, at which point she’ll be able to shoot down any invader UFO on her side of the planet, once we have a qualified gunner.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Since people have been asking, here’s the state of Earth’s Aerospace development, as well as the stuff that I totally didn’t completely forget about that would have been on Cronus’ mothership.  I was just waiting until I could clear all the various Chekovian Guns in one fell swoop.  Yep, that’s it.</p><p>I’m in a bit of a bind with what to do with a sarcophagus.  The negative effects don’t seem to occur when it’s just healing you, so it should be safe to use by the dead or dying, but the Tok’ra refuse to use them at all for some reason, and one presumes they have a good one.  So I’m shelving it at Area 51 for now, pending further study.</p><p>The Death Gliders are being taken apart because of those pesky recall devices, which Cronus probably doesn’t even have, but hey, better safe than sorry.  Plus, they’re just not all that impressive as fighter craft, compared to what the SGC came up with for the F-302.  And add some XCOM and Asgard ingenuity to the mix, and you’ve really got something!  Tearing apart the engines and such to figure out how they work, then building them from scratch, means that, in all likelihood, even the X-302 will probably just have a Goa’uld-derived gravity engine, rather than the various jets and rockets and such it has in the show.  The “plasma damping field” really doesn’t have any basis, but I figured it made sense as a “stepping stone” tech to actual shields, as well as making the 302s and Firestorms even more impressive.</p><p>The Firestorm takes a rather significant investment of alien tech to make in EU.  One UFO Power Source (hard to get from UFOs you shoot down), 2 UFO Flight Computers (not as hard to get, but also used for Satellite Nexuses), and a fair amount of Elerium and Alloys.  Well, here, I decided that more naquadah reactors can make up for one UFO Power Source (power is power, after all, it’s just a question of how much you need to do what you want), and with access to Goa’uld and Ethereal computer technology, Earth can actually make something just as capable as the UFO Flight Computer.  Once they get their Alien Alloy forge up and running, the only limit on Firestorms is Elerium, which may be able to be made up with more naquadah.  Because I like me my Firestorms, dammit.  I also thought it would be a neat touch for the Ethereal’s computing technology, at least in their Flight Computers, to be slightly behind what the Goa’uld are using, thus hopefully avoiding them falling to Villain Sue territory.</p><p>The X-303 isn’t going to be anywhere close to what was just described in its finished state.  After all, XCOM hasn’t even cracked plasma weapons yet, and then there’s the small matter of those Fusion Cores you can get from Battleships.  Suffice to say, Prometheus will punch a lot further above its weight than it did in SG-1 proper.</p><p>Also an answer to the popular “why doesn’t the SGC know anything about the Ethereal ships?”  Well, their cloaking technology is really good, and only XCOM cracked how to detect them.  The Avenger still isn’t quite ready to start dealing with UFOs, but she’s getting there.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. All Your Base</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the SGC helps XCOM with a pest problem.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Stargate Command</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado</b>
</p><p>
  <b>May, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Receiving Master Bra’tac’s IDC,” Sergeant Harriman said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open the iris,” Hammond ordered, moving down to meet the Jaffa master as he came to Earth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hammond of Texas,” Bra’tac said.  “It is my honor to once again be welcomed to your world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ours to have you,” Hammond replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is my understanding you have acquired a ha’tak from Cronus, and wish assistance in operating its weapons?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unfortunately, the Jaffa are slow to hear the words of freedom,” Bra’tac sighed.  “Of those who have fled the Goa’uld, none possess the skill necessary to help you defend your world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it was worth a try,” Hammond replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“However, I would gladly spend a few days educating your warriors in such a task.  You have a pilot for the vessel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do.  The Tok’ra Hebron and his symbiote Lantash.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” Bra’tac said, his tone going noncommittal.  “Then, you have a warrior you would wish trained in operating a ha’tak?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re looking over candidates now,” Hammond said, showing Bra’tac out of the ‘Gate Room.  “How effective can they be without a symbiote?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fairly so.  It is not required to operate the controls, but it does make it easier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the corridor outside, they ran into SG-1, who had come to see their Jaffa ally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tek’ma’te, Master Bra’tac,” Teal’c said, letting one of his rare smiles show for his old mentor and friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tek’ma’te, Teal’c,” Bra’tac replied as they clasped arms.  “And who is this?” Bra’tac asked, releasing Teal’c and looking at Kelly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lieutenant Shauna Kelly, XCOM, assigned to SG-1,” Kelly stated, nodding.  “It’s an honor, sir, I’ve heard a lot about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To earn a place with SG-1 one must be a formidable warrior, Kelly of XCOM.  I hope to see you in battle one day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That seems likely,” Kelly replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Master Bra’tac,” Hammond began.  “If you’d like, we—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“General Hammond, to the control room, emergency transmission from XCOM HQ!” Sergeant Harriman called over the PA.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“D’oh,” O’Neill said to no one in particular.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Doctor, I’m afraid I still don’t quite follow your method of mathematical notation,” Anise said to Vahlen.  “Could you explain this to me, please?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Certainly,” Vahlen said, joining Anise at the monitor.  “What is giving you trouble?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This,” Anise said, pointing to a portion of the equation which described the behavior of the device they’d taken from the alien base.  “It looks like this indicates the signal the device emits exists in more than three dimensions, but I must be reading it wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re reading it correctly,” Vahlen replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s impossible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hardly.  You’re very intelligent, and a quick study.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I meant that the existence of more than three dimensions has never been proven.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True, but absence of proof is not proof of absence.  And this is the only way we can make sense of the readings we’re getting.  It seems as if—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen was cut off by a strangled cry from Doctor Krieger.  They turned to see XCOM personnel grabbing scientists from behind, arms wrapping around their necks to incapacitate them.  Anise stepped to the one that had Krieger and punched him in the face.  It was an inelegant, awkward punch, neither Anise nor Freya were the physical type.  But Freya’s symbiote-augmented muscles made up for lack of style, and the man went sprawling to the ground.  Another man threw the scientist he’d grabbed to the ground, lurched forward, and grabbed Anise in a bear hug.  She broke it easily, grabbed the man by his green jacket, and hurled him bodily through the air.  Another charged at Vahlen, who took the more practical route of slamming the edge of a stainless steel instrument tray into his neck.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Breach in section Delta,” Bradford was saying as SG-1 arrived in the control room.  “We’re picking up alien forces moving into that section.  We’ve got some combat personnel in there, but not enough to hold them all off!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you evacuate through the Stargate, or up to the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Hammond asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Negative.  Delta Section’s between us and the Stargate and Ring Room, we can’t get there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can,” Carter said.  “We can ring up to the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger—"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“—and back down to XCOM,” O’Neill finished.  “General, per—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Granted, get moving.” Hammond said without hesitation.  “Take SG-3 with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yessir,” O’Neill said, darting off to fetch the jarheads.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“General Hammond,” Bra’tac said.  “I should like to stand with SG-1 and these warriors of XCOM on the field of battle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have any authority to stop you, Master Bra’tac.  Good hunting.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>XCOM’s armors had been designed to be donned quickly, since their troops had to be ready to go at the drop of a hat to any hotspot anywhere in the world, which might involve a long flight in a Skyranger too small for troops to gear up in.  The Skeleton Suits supplied to the SGC were no exception, so ten minutes later, SG-1 was ringing into the XCOM HQ.  Jack, Carter, and Daniel had L3-C Laser Carbines, Kelly her trusty Scatter Laser, while Teal’c and Bra’tac carried their Staff Weapons.  They moved out of the ring platform, and SG-3, all armed with L3-A laser rifles, arrived behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t hard to locate the fighting, simply following the sound of laser, plasma, and ballistic weapons’ fire.  XCOM’s base security personnel, who hadn’t been equipped with the advanced designs fielded by XCOM’s operatives, were doing their best to help hold off the incursion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over radio comms, Bradford led the SGC personnel to a door they could power up to let them into the fighting.  Once the door was open, they passed the broken corpses of three people in the light blue Kevlar of XCOM Base Security, and one in a Support trooper’s brick red Carapace armor.  Entering a large open space with a backup of XCOM’s Geoscape, O’Neill saw something that gave him pause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A tall, robotic figure was firing a gun almost as large as O’Neill himself at a green-clad creature almost as large as its mechanical opponent.  The bright flash of white light struck the brute in its misshapen head, dropping it with a gaping hole between its massive shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to the party!” Delta 2 shouted, firing his heavy laser at a Chryssalid.  O’Neill moved into the room, firing to finish off the beast.  Carter and Daniel took out a second one, while Bra’tac and Teal’c splattered a third and fourth with well-placed staff blasts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell is that?” O’Neill asked as he approached Torres, motioning to the giant robot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lieutenant ‘Eureka’ Hughes, Mechanized Exoskeletal Cybersuit Trooper,” Delta 2 replied as some base security troops finished clearing the room.  “And right now, my best friend in the whole wide world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” O’Neill nodded, deciding explanations for why XCOM had giant robots and the SGC didn’t could wait.  “Where you need us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Central, SG-1 and friends on-station.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy, Delta 2.  We’re reading signals near the Mech Bay.  Move up and take ‘em out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy, Central.  Eureka, on point!  Hawkins, Blair, Dutch, watch our backs.  Smokes, Eureka, everyone else, with me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what the hell are those things?” O’Neill asked, pointing his laser at one of the downed alien giants as they passed by.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A ton of mutant alien awful,” Delta 2 replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haven’t named it yet?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing repeatable in polite company.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh.  Mute-ton?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Muton, eh?  Not bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They moved up into the Mech Bay.  Sergeant Miller of SG-3 getting his head burned off by a Thin Man was their first indication of the danger awaiting them.  The two other Thin Men vaped two of the Base Security troops, while the Sectoids’ less accurate fire forced everyone to scramble for cover, nearly costing SG-3’s Major Warren an arm.  As the XCOM and SGC personnel returned fire, the Thin Men ran, flipped, and leaped around the Mech Bay, attempting to avoid the deadly caress of the laser beams.  Bracketing them carefully, volume of fire eventually brought them down, and targeted shots took care of the Sectoids cowering behind tall boxes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The humans barely had time to catch their breath before three more of the large, green-armored aliens showed up.  Bra’tac fired his staff at one, the armor soaking up the staff’s blast as it levelled its plasma rifle at him.  Bra’tac whirled around behind a pillar, barely evading the deadly green blast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kelly, go get him!” O’Neill shouted.  He, Carter, and Daniel had to focus all their laser fire on one of the Mutons to bring it down.  Even Delta 2’s heavy laser didn’t get the job done, requiring a follow-up shot from Smokes through the hole Torres had burned in the thick armor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly ran forward, dodging poorly aimed plasma fire from enemies busy fighting other humans.  Bra’tac’s attacker shifted its aim to her, but she ducked against a crate, throwing its aim off, before popping up and nailing it with two swift shots to the face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are a brave warrior, Kelly of XCOM,” Bra’tac said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” she replied, smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get down!” Bra’tac shouted, raising his staff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly whirled, but too slow.  A fourth Muton, hidden from behind a large stack of crates, fired its plasma rifle, catching Kelly low in the side.  Teal’c and Bra’tac rapid-fired their staffs, penetrating the creature’s armor and killing it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kelly!” O’Neill said, rushing up to her and checking the injury.  “Stay with us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got her, Colonel.”  Smokes dropped to one knee, spraying a mist from her XCOM medikit on Kelly’s wound.  The bleeding slowed, then stopped, and Kelly turned and groaned as O’Neill placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it bad?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rub some dirt on it, you wimp,” Smokes replied with a smile.  “You’ll live, but your armor is cored and I think one of your kidneys is gone.  Better sit the rest of this one out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel, you want me to keep going, just say the word,” Kelly said, looking to O’Neill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill shook his head.  “The word is sit here and take it easy, Kelly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly nodded, disappointed.  “Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over his radio, Delta 2 ordered two of the base security personnel to move up and keep Kelly covered, in case any aliens doubled back, and O’Neill ordered Corporal Reilly of SG-3 to do likewise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They kept moving up towards the Forward Access Tunnel, and were almost to the entrance when a sizzling beam cut the air next to Bra’tac’s head.  Ducking down, they saw three small, floating shapes surrounding a larger, hovering mechanical spider with a scorpion-like tail.  Once again, the humans and Jaffa scrambled for cover, but the Cyberdisc was already tracking them.  Spitting rapid plasma fire from some of its many appendages, one of the beams caught Teal’c high in the chest, knocking him down, his momentum sending him skidding behind a freight container.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Teal’c!” O’Neill shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“While it’s open!” Delta 2 called back.  “Now, everything you’ve got!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laser, railgun, and staff fire converged on the thing, which tried to collapse back into its armored disc form, but the sheer firepower melted through it before it could.  Its power core breached and the disc exploded, taking the small drones with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Teal’c!” O’Neill shouted again, rushing to the fallen Jaffa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am injured, O’Neill,” Teal’c groaned.  “But alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac looked at the wound.  “It is deeper than a staff blast, but not as severe.  His prim’ta will heal him in time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill set his mouth in a determined line and turned to the SG-3 CO, who was trying not to cradle his singed arm.  “Major Warren, can you help Teal’c back to Kelly and the others, keep any more of these bastards off them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” Warren said, slinging his laser rifle and letting Teal’c lean on him as they limped back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it always like this for you guys?” Jack asked Torres.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like this?  No.”  Torres racked the heat purge on his heavy laser.  “This is a bad day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they moved deeper into the access tunnel, Carter suddenly stopped and grabbed her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, it’s in my—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carter?  Carter!” O’Neill called, grabbing her by the shoulders.  “You alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.  I’m fine.  Everything’s fine.”  Carter then brought up her laser carbine, and O’Neill found himself staring into the glowing muzzle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The butt end of Bra’tac’s staff knocked the weapon upwards a split second before she pulled the trigger, the laser beam singeing O’Neill’s hair.  Bra’tac continued the weapon’s arc and closed the emitter head mid-motion, catching Carter on the chin and knocking her flat on her back.  She struggled to rise, but Bra’tac continued to whirl his staff down, clocking her on the side of the face with the counterweight, knocking her out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” O’Neill said.  “What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Must be a Sectoid Commander nearby,” Torres replied.  “They’re the only ones we’ve met so far who can pull that trick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” Jack said.  “Let’s go kill him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they rounded the corner into the Forward Guard Station, another large robot was waiting, this one definitely not friendly.  Flanked by two Sectoids, and with an obviously Sectoid pilot, the thing fired its gun-arms at the troops, forcing them to dart for cover.  One of the beams caught the last Marine, Lieutenant Abrams, full in the torso, rendering all his vital organs so much cooked meat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell is </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing?” O’Neill shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea!” Delta 2 shouted back.  “Eureka, take it down!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Getting in close,” Eureka stated calmly, charging forward.  The MEC was deceptively fast for its size, and none of the Sectoid or Sectoid mech fire hit solidly enough to cause damage.  As she closed the distance, the Mechtoid swiped at her with one of its gun-arms, but Eureka blocked and struck back.  The two exchanged blows for a moment, before Eureka grabbed the thing by the shoulder, shoved it off its feet, and held it place as the rocket motors on the kinetic strike module engaged, then literally punched the Sectoid pilot clear of the mech in a shower of shrapnel and alien blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fine tremors of rage thrummed though Colonel Jack O’Neill’s body.  Military training and discipline let him fight the atavistic urge to find the enemy and tear them apart with his bare hands, but it was a near thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel O’Neill,” a familiar voice said over the radio.  “Hold your position.  I am on my way to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zhang?” O’Neill asked incredulously.  “What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Defending my living friends, and avenging my fallen ones,” Zhang replied.  “And I have not come alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang, flanked by SG-2 with XCOM Lieutenant Yamada and SG-4 with XCOM Lieutenant Jackson, arrived behind them moments later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chilong,” Delta 2 said happily.  “Glad you could make it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t miss this for all the tea in China,” Zhang replied with a wry grin.  “What’s our situation?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three marines dead, Teal’c and Kelly in bad shape, Carter out cold, no idea how many of your people down,” O’Neill stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang nodded.  “Yes, we saw them on the way in.  They will be fine, Colonel, I am certain of it.  Hostiles?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know there’s a Sectoid Commander up ahead,” Delta 2 replied.  “That’s what got Carter.  Bra’tac had to stop her from burning O’Neill.  What he’s got with him, or how many more, no idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, then,” Zhang said.  “Shall we introduce ourselves, Colonel O’Neill?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After you, Colonel Zhang.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Darting down the hall, taking cover from plasma fire from three more Sectoids, four more Drones, and another Cyberdisc, they spotted the Commander, its red color and even larger head marking it as very different from the others.  The Sectoid Commander again reached out with its mind, seizing Lieutenant Jackson.  Before he could burn a hole in Doctor Jackson, Bra’tac, Delta 2, and Chilong cut the Commander to flaming ribbons.  SG-2 melted through the Cyberdisc’s armor in a concentrated barrage, while SG-4 picked off the Drones.  Everyone else focused on taking down the Sectoids, who tried to scatter and flee once the Commander fell to the ground, lifeless.  Neither XCOM nor SGC granted quarter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was the last group,” Central said over the radio.  “Perimeter’s secure.  It’s over, everyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need medics down here, Bradford,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Already on their way.  Power’s coming back up now.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Anise slipped the Goa’uld healing device off her hand.  “She’ll be fine,” she said, nodding to the bed where Kelly was resting.  “The damage was severe, but between the XCOM medikit, the healing device, and this infirmary, she should recover quite easily.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded.  “Good.  Teal’c?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Resting comfortably, healing as rapidly as a healthy Jaffa is able.  He should be able to return in a day or so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And everyone else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise frowned.  “Major Warren will be fine, a superficial burn.  Including SG-3, XCOM Base Security, and XCOM troopers, there are seventeen dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who we could save if the sarcophagus was here, not at Area 51,” Vahlen stated, joining them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would not be wise, Doctor,” Anise replied.  “The long-term effects are—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know what the long-term effects are!” Vahlen snapped.  “They are not more long-term than being dead!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if the sarcophagus were here, we could only resurrect one soldier before the others passed the time when it would help.  Which one would you choose to give back their life?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen glared at Anise for several seconds, then swore passionately in German.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did she—” O’Neill whispered to Daniel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t want to know,” Daniel whispered back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doors to the infirmary opened, and Bradford stepped in, one hand behind his back.  “Thank you all for showing up,” he said to O’Neill and the rest of the SGC personnel.  “I don’t think we’d have made it without you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack shrugged.  “Just being neighborly.  Bradford, this is Master Bra’tac.  Bra’tac, this is Bradford.  He’s from Manhattan, Kansas.”  O’Neill tried not to smirk, having made a point of figuring out where Bradford called home, anticipating just this moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bradford of Manhattan Kansas,” Bra’tac said, clasping the man’s arm, much to Bradford’s surprise.  “You lead your warriors well on the field of battle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, thank you,” Bradford replied, disengaging from the Jaffa handshake.  “Colonel, we’re sorry for the loss of your people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And yours,” O’Neill said solemnly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford nodded.  “But we made a statement.  We showed them what happens when they come for us, for our people.  They paid a heavy price, and I say we keep making them pay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well spoken, Bradford of Manhattan Kansas,” Bra’tac said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s Kelly?” Bradford asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anise says she’ll be fine,” O’Neill replied.  “We were just about to check on her, if that’s okay?” O’Neill asked Vahlen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen nodded.  “She needs some rest, but you can visit for a few minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group made their way over to Kelly’s bed.  She groaned and shifted herself higher in the pillows.  “Sorry for not coming to attention, sirs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At ease, Kelly,” O’Neill and Bradford said simultaneously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Commander’s going over the attack with the Council,” Bradford said.  “But wanted me to give you this.”  He pulled his hand out from behind his back, showing the small box.  Opening it, he revealed a pair of bars on a pin.  “Congratulations, Captain Kelly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly smiled.  “I didn’t do much, sir.  Just vaped a big alien and got shot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re calling them Mutons now,” O’Neill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your performance with SG-1 has been exemplary,” Bradford said.  “Your reports have been concise and informative, you’ve contributed a lot to their missions and our joint efforts, and Colonel O’Neill has given you glowing recommendations and evaluations.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, did he?” Kelly asked, looking at Jack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I?” Jack asked innocently.  He turned to Daniel.  “Don’t I hire someone to do all that stuff for me?  I can’t be held responsible for what whoever that is may or may not have said.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t you ask me last week for a synonym for ‘kickass’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was doing a crossword.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford shook his head, privately reflecting yet again on what a bizarre group these SGC people were.  “In any event, congratulations, Captain.”  He handed Kelly the box.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, sir.  Sirs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rest up, Captain,” O’Neill said with a faint smile.  “You’ll be back at the SGC before you know it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen spoke up.  “Actually, Colonel, I’d like to keep Li—Captain Kelly here for a week.  Partially for observation, partially because, before being reassigned to the SGC, she’d volunteered for our genetic modification program when it got underway.  We’ve had it operational for some time now, so if she’s still interested, I’d like to put her through the process before returning her to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m still not sure how I feel about all this,” Carter stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I assure you, Major Carter, the procedure is completely harmless, and completely reversible with the application of more of the Meld substance.  We’ve had several genetically modified troops in the field, and all indications are that everything is holding stable.  I admit I’m running right on the edge of scientific knowledge and ethics in this, but I believe it is entirely beneficial to our efforts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if I said I didn’t want you poking needles in my soldier?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bradford cleared his throat.  “Then I’d remind you, Colonel, that Kelly is technically still </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> soldier, and the Commander’s, and we’ve okayed the procedure.  And that I really think it would be a bad idea to bother anyone higher up with this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill still looked inclined to argue the point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Colonel,” Kelly put in.  “I trust Doctor Vahlen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think you hit your head when you went down, Kelly,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, Colonel O’Neill,” Vahlen said.  “Trust that I know what I’m doing, and that I hold these soldiers lives in as high regard as you yourself do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack looked between Vahlen and Kelly, and knew he was in a losing argument.  “You take good care of my trooper, Doctor,” he said at last.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Colonel.  Thank you.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Here it is, kids, the one you’ve all been waiting for!</p><p>Boy, did this take some work.  A couple of Spacebattlers helped with this chapter tremendously.  Thanks a ton for your help, guys, greatly appreciated.</p><p>The SGC’s first deployment with laser weapons and Skeleton Suits, which are built using naquadah-trinium alloys for the SGC instead of the alien alloys for XCOM.  So not as robust, which was kind of a bad thing here.  You also see the difference in Ethereal versus Goa’uld weapons here.  Since the Goa’uld primarily intimidate low-tech people, their weapons are designed for maximum damage against soft targets, which I extend out to their ship-to-ship weapons (since ha’taks also use their guns for orbital bombardment).  So Muton armor can pretty easily stop a staff blast, since it’s designed with their own plasma weapons in mind.  However, you can rapid-fire a Staff Weapon, which the RPG calls “kel’no’pah,” or “lightning strike.”  We saw Bra’tac do it in the first season, and it stands to reason multiple shots could take down a Muton.</p><p>And yes, first appearance of Mutons.</p><p>It was remarkably annoying trying to find a canon personnel list for SG-3 at this time.  Major Warren was the canonical commander at this time, but the rest of the team was up in the air, so I went with (almost) a complete lineup of redshirts.</p><p>Teal’c getting injured and Zhang reinforcing was also suggested by Spacebattlers.  I had him bring SG-2 and SG-4 with him.  They’re both Search and Rescue teams, so it made sense to me to put the two XCOM support people with those units.</p><p>A piece of Gameplay and Story Segregation I am doing is that ranks are not levels.  Kelly in-game would probably be a bit beyond Lieutenant level at this point, but here she’s just getting promoted to Captain.  Her skills will grow along with SG-1, not in accordance to her rank.  She is going to be getting some gene mods, though, because of things I want to do later.</p><p>The SGC is still a bit weirded out by the lengths XCOM will go to in order to defeat the aliens, so the little argument about gene mods here makes sense to me.  I don’t think SGC personnel will be getting them, but more gene modded XCOM troops might show up at Stargate Command.</p><p>I also wanted to give Anise/Freya a little bit of an action scene.  She may be a scientist, but she’s still a lot stronger than she looks, thanks to that whole snake-in-the-head thing.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Full Metal Bra'tac</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which big honkin' space guns are fired.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>The </b>
  <b>
    <em>Avenger</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Outside The Solar System</b>
</p><p>
  <b>May, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hasshak kree</span>
  </em>
  <span>, woman!” Bra’tac exclaimed as the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s cannon blasts disappeared into empty space.  “That is your enemy out there!  Will you allow him to defeat you this day?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, sir,” Major Erin Gant replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you allow him to pillage your home, kill your loved ones, enslave your people?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then </span>
  <em>
    <span>slay him!</span>
  </em>
  <span>  Do not think about it, </span>
  <b>do</b>
  <span> it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suppressing a smile, Gant twisted her hands on the ha’tak’s weapons controls again, sending the weapons fire out again.  This time, the ship's computer registered two hits out of five.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bah, I have seen feeble old blind men do better,” Bra’tac said.  “Again!  Will your enemy dead with heart and soul, and see the ship’s weapons turn desire to reality.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gant fired again, three hits out of five.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Barely acceptable,” Bra’tac snorted.  “If you are the best the Tau’ri could send, I weep for the future of your planet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erin Gant tried not to chuckle.  The words were different, the tone all too familiar.  It seemed, no matter where you went in the galaxy, drill instructors were all the same.  Though she suspected, if she understood Goa’uld, Bra’tac could give some of her old sergeants a run for their money in the creativity of his profanity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door to the pel’tak opened.  “How goes the training?” Hebron asked, stepping up to the flight control station.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It proceeds,” Bra’tac said.  “I believe we are finished for the day.  If you would be so kind to return us to Earth, and excuse me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gant hadn’t noticed a lot that made Master Bra’tac nervous, but the appearance of Hebron did so without fail.  Whenever the two were in the same room, Bra’tac sought the first available excuse to depart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron wasn’t stupid enough for the trend to escape his notice, either.  “Master Bra’tac, hold a moment,” he said, following him out into the corridor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac stiffened, then turned.  “Yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron closed the pel’tac door, allowing their conversation to remain private.  “Lantash informs me that, when dealing with Jaffa, it is best to speak plainly.  So I must ask, what have I done that offends you so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, I am not offended.  Now, if you’ll excuse me.”  Bra’tac turned and hurried down the corridor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You seek to put as much of this ship as possible between us at every opportunity,” Hebron said, following.  “Clearly, something makes you uneasy in my presence.  I wish to know what it is, that we may remedy it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am a Jaffa Master Warrior, former First Prime.  Nothing makes me ‘uneasy.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uncomfortable, then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Bra’tac turned, and looked Hebron straight in the eye.  “Yes, I am uncomfortable with you here.  I do not like you being on this ship.  You may call yourself by a different name, but you are the same race as that which has subjugated and abused my people for thousands of years.  Spending our lives in petty conflicts against our own, torturing and murdering us for failure even when success was impossible, and using us to slaughter innocents to sate their insatiable lust for power and territory.  So yes, I am uneasy being in your presence, and seek to remove myself from it as soon as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the Tok’ra have been hunted near to extinction by Jaffa, such as yourself,” Hebron noted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the orders of those who created us to be slaves,” Bra’tac replied.  “We had but two choices:  Obey, or die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that is now changing, however slowly.  The Jaffa, thanks to Teal’c and the Tau’ri, have the opportunity to break from the Goa’uld and forge their own destiny.  Would it not be wise to seek the aid of those who share that cause?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For what cause do the Tok’ra fight?” Bra’tac asked.  “For that matter do you fight at all?  You spy and scheme but accomplish little.  What have the Tok’ra done to end Goa’uld oppression of Jaffa, to lift the yoke of slavery from the heads of those oppressed?  Generations live and die while you cower and hide.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron’s eyes flashed, and Bra’tac seized his zat’nik’tel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apologies,” Hebron said.  “Lantash is. . . disturbed by your accusation, at least partly because it does have merit.  The Tok’ra have, perhaps, not done as much as they could, but their situation is a dire one.  Every lost Tok’ra means one less, forever, as we have no means to replenish our numbers.  Even if we did, finding willing hosts is difficult.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And so you value your lives above the lives of those who still suffer,” Bra’tac said.  “It is cowardice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And is it then bravery to walk into a hopeless battle, and spend your life to achieve nothing of note?” Hebron countered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that is foolishness,” Bra’tac stated.  “Bravery is to accept death when it comes, and do all one can to make one’s death have meaning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As many of the Tok’ra have done.  Jolinar giving her life to spare Major Carter, for one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reluctantly, Bra’tac nodded.  “Perhaps there is a bravery to your people, but it does little to help mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, perhaps, we should take advantage of this time to learn how we might better help each other.  At the very least, we are both allies of the Tau’ri, and should be capable of getting along with each other while both guests in their home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps,” Bra’tac admitted.  “But the memories of Jaffa are long, do not expect them to rapidly embrace ones who so closely resemble the cause of all their suffering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the memories of the Tok’ra are equally long,” Hebron replied.  “Do not expect them to rapidly embrace ones who caused the bulk of their suffering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac shook his head.  “This is a long and perilous road you seek to walk.  One wonders if the journey is worth it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How shall we know what lies at the end of the road, unless we walk it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac considered, before finally nodding.  “Very well.  We shall walk together, you and I, at least for a time.  With very small steps.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“So, how’s our new gunner?” General Hammond asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac sat back in his chair, looking at Hammond across his desk.  “She shows promise,” he replied.  “She is a quick study and quite determined.  Her lack of symbiote hampers her, but she is a dedicated warrior with admirable discipline.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then you’d recommend her to take up the post of weapons officer for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well.  Thank you, Master Bra’tac.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is always my pleasure, Hammond of Texas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond tapped the intercom.  “Sergeant, could you send Major Gant in, please?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seconds later, the blond Air Force Major walked in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Major, Master Bra’tac says you show promise with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s weapons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank, you sir, Master.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re willing, the post is yours, under one condition.  And before you say yes, know that it’s a doozy.  Dr. Vahlen at XCOM has a genetic modification treatment that, combined with a naquadah injection, should give perfect familiarity with operating Goa’uld technology.  She assures us it’s all perfectly safe, but we have some doubts owing to the nature of Goa’uld genetic memory and the effect it might have on a person’s psyche.  Were you to undergo this treatment, you’d be able to operate the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s weapons flawlessly, but you’d be under constant monitoring for the foreseeable future for any side effects, and if they manifest, you’d have to have the modification removed immediately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir, permission to speak freely?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By all means, Major.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir, if it means flying around in space and blowing up evil aliens with gigantic plasma weapons, I don’t care if the side effects turn me purple.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond laughed.  “Very well, Major.  Report to the ring room for transit to XCOM HQ via the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  I’ll notify them you’re coming, and Dr. Vahlen can explain the procedure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Major.  If this all goes according to plan, you’ve just become one of the most important people to the defense of this planet.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, another quick one, covering the Avenger getting a gunner, and a little heart-to-heart with Hebron and Bra’tac.  The Jaffa-Tok’ra animosity made perfect sense to me in the show, and I want to do more with that later, but I also have some plans for how it might play out differently, now that I’ve got a few butterflies flapping their little wings around.</p><p>Major Erin Gant was an officer on the Prometheus.  She wasn’t really the weapons officer, but I decided to put her here, because. . . well, just because.  It seemed to make sense that someone later tapped for Prometheus would be looked at for Avenger, and she’s one of the few notable crew members the ship had.  Not sure what I’ll do for the rest of the crew yet.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Operation Zip Gun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which more and different big, honkin' space guns are fired.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Invader Battleship</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Skies Over China</b>
</p><p>
  <b>June, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“That ship is now under XCOM Control.  But I don’t think it’ll fit in the hangar,” Bradford said.</p><p>“Strike one,” Dr. Shen said into the microphone.  “Do you have the control module we gave you?”</p><p>“Right here, Doc,” Delta 2 replied.</p><p>“Excellent.  Proceed into the bridge, and find the primary control console.”</p><p>“How will we know which one it is?” Torres asked.  “They all look the same.”</p><p>“That one, right there,” Shen replied, watching the video feed from Delta 2’s camera.</p><p>“Alright, now what?”</p><p>“There’s a panel in the front of the console dead center, pry it open.”</p><p>Shen watched on the monitor as Delta 2 popped open the panel, revealing a tangle of circuits and crystals.  “Very good,” he said.  “Now, pull out that orange crystal, and insert the control module.”</p><p>“This isn’t going to blow anything up or crash the ship, is it?” Torres asked.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Strike 1.  The chances of that are negligible.”</p><p>“Woah, woah, define ‘negligible,’ Doc.”</p><p>“More than insignificant, less than unlikely,” Shen replied helpfully.</p><p>“You got numbers on that?”</p><p>“Not precisely, Strike 1, but rest assured, we’re all confident down here.”</p><p>“How good for you,” Torres muttered.  “Okay, removing orange crystal. . .”  Lights on the battleship flickered and died.  “Inserting control module. . .”  The lights came back on, followed by the sound of the aliens’ gravity drive thrumming deeply as it reoriented the ship.</p><p>“Excellent job, Strike 1,” Shen said.  “The ship is on course for Area 51.  We’ll have interceptors flying escort, and the <em> Avenger </em> is tracking it to ensure it arrives.”</p><p>“Alright, boys and girls,” Bradford added.  “Your work here is done.  Get back to the Skyranger and head to base.  Beers are on me.”</p><p>“Copy that, Central!” Delta 2 replied.</p><p>“Once the alien ship is at Area 51, we can begin dismantling it,” Shen said happily.</p><p>“Why don’t we keep it?” Bradford asked.</p><p>Vahlen sighed.  “The alien control interfaces are too different.  It’s unlikely we’d be able to operate the ship with any efficiency.”</p><p>“And replacing all the control systems would require dismantling the ship anyway,” Shen added.  “This way, we get to examine a literal boat-load of alien technology, completely intact, and gain an understanding of how their ships are put together.  In addition, the alloys and elerium we will recover will allow us to fast-track a number of new projects, and put more advanced equipment into production.”</p><p>“SG-1 got to keep their captured alien ship,” Bradford muttered.</p><p>“It’s not a competition, Central,” Vahlen noted.</p><p>“You really think Jack O’Neill’s not going to make some snide comment about how we didn’t get to keep our ship?”</p><p>Shen smiled.  “When he sees the first Firestorm roll out of the Foundry, I think it’ll wipe any smirks off his face.”</p><p>Bradford couldn’t help but smile.  “I think you’re right about that, Doctor.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Curia Chamber</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Tollana</b>
</p><p>
  <b>June, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“We are always pleased to welcome our friends from Earth,” Chancellor Travell said.</p><p>“And we are honored that you once again agree to meet with us,” Daniel replied.</p><p>“What is it you wished to discuss?”</p><p>“Well, we would like to discuss deepening the friendship between our people,” Daniel answered.  “Including trade,” he finished.</p><p>“We have told you before,” Omoc said tersely.  “We do not give our technology to those not advanced enough to use it wisely.”</p><p>“Yes, you have, and we understand the reason for your hesitation.  Giving technology to someone who isn’t ready for it can lead to disaster, we appreciate the responsibility inherent in the power you have.  But the whole crux of your reasoning is that one must be responsible for the power they have, correct?”</p><p>“That is a fair assessment,” Travell answered.</p><p>“Then, we believe we have a case to make, if you will allow us to present it?”</p><p>The Chancellors of the Curia looked at each other, before Travell finally nodded.  “You may proceed.”</p><p>“Thank you.”  Daniel nodded to O’Neill and Kelly, who opened a large box they’d brought with.  “You aren’t aware, but over the last year Earth has come under attack by an alien force unknown to us or any of our allies.  They have advanced technology, in some ways more advanced than that of the Goa’uld.  Until recently, fighting this unknown enemy was the purview of an international coalition called XCOM, who have been studying and reverse-engineering the technology they’ve been able to capture for the purposes of more effectively defending Earth from this, and all other, threats.”</p><p>O’Neill and Kelly removed items from the box.  “These are three different models of laser rifle developed by XCOM.  The first uses only the knowledge they’ve gained from the invaders, and uses their power source, a variant of naquadah we’re unfamiliar with called elerium, to power itself.  This second version was designed using liquid naquadah power cells we’ve recovered through the Stargate, and recently learned to manufacture ourselves.  This third version replaces the alien alloys in the first two weapons’ construction with a naquadah-trinium alloy, since we can’t reproduce the alien alloys yet, though we’re currently constructing an orbital foundry that will allow us to do so.”</p><p>“And your point?” Omoc asked.</p><p>“My point is this:  we’ve begun learning about technology more advanced than ours, learning to build it and use it ourselves.”</p><p>Omoc snorted.  “You claim that because you can steal and break down weapons from your enemy you are responsible?  That is not responsibility from my point of view.”</p><p>“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Daniel said.  “I’m saying we’re advancing faster than you might think we are, because of interference from others.  I’m saying we’re ready to start learning faster—”</p><p>“So you want one of our Ion Cannons so you can take it apart and figure out how it works?” Omoc asked.</p><p>“No.  Actually, I don’t want you to <em> give </em> us anything.”</p><p>“Then what do you want?” Travell asked.</p><p>“Access to your universities.  Let some of our scientists and engineers, some of our top minds, come to your world to learn what you know, what you’ve discovered.  Not just about weapons, but about life, the universe, everything.  Let us start <em> earning </em> the knowledge we need, instead of having it handed to us.”</p><p>Travell blinked.  “A most. . . unusual proposal.”</p><p>Omoc smiled.  “Doctor Jackson, you continue to surprise me.”</p><p>“And in exchange?” Travell asked.</p><p>Daniel shrugged.  “What do we have that we could offer you?”</p><p>Travell opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by an alarm.  Screens on the Council members desks began showing views of the space around Tollana, as a deep thrum reverberated through the chamber.</p><p>“What was that?” Kelly asked.</p><p>“Ion Cannon fire,” Daniel said.</p><p>SG-1 couldn’t make out the images on the screens, but for the Curia, the picture was quite clear.  The Ion Cannon blast smashed against the shields of a Goa’uld ha’tak, which absorbed the impact with minimal effort.</p><p>Travell gasped.</p><p>Moments later, a face appeared on all the Curia’s monitors.  “Leaders of Tollana,” a deep voice said.</p><p>“Lord Zipacna,” Travell replied.</p><p>“I am pleased you remember me.  I take it you witnessed the little demonstration I just performed in your orbit?”</p><p>Travell looked to SG-1, motioning them to remain silent.  “Your ship is still intact after bombardment by one of our Ion Cannons.”</p><p>“Yes.  My master has discovered many new advances, this among them.  Your weapons are now wholly ineffective.  I could destroy your world now, and there would be nothing you could do to stop me.”</p><p>“Then what stays your hand?” Travell asked.</p><p>“My master is not in the habit of wasting potential resources.  We have an idea for how you could serve us.  You have the technology to send solid objects through other solid objects, and you have the capacity to build devices of great destructive power.  Marry the two, and create for us weapons that will destroy our enemies wherever they may hide.  Do this, and your world will be spared.”</p><p>“I see,” Travell said, looking again at SG-1.  “I assume we shall have some time to think it over?”</p><p>“One week,” Zipacna said.  “I will return then.  Weigh your answer carefully, Chancellor.  You know what the consequences will be.”</p><p>The transmission ended.</p><p>“This places us in an awkward position,” Travell said, looking at SG-1.</p><p>“Ya think?” O’Neill asked.</p><p>“You know the first place they’ll tell you send those weapons is Earth,” Daniel stated.</p><p>“Why would they ask us to send them anywhere?” Travel asked.  “We would just construct them.”</p><p>“Oh, for crying out loud!” Jack exclaimed.</p><p>“Earth is a Protected Planet,” Daniel stated.  “The Goa’uld can’t attack it directly, for fear of drawing the wrath of the Asgard.  But if you attacked, then Earth would no longer be a threat to the System Lords and the Asgard can’t intervene.”</p><p>“It’s why they aren’t helping us with the Sectoids,” Kelly added.</p><p>“Then you put us in an awkward position,” Travell said.  “If we refuse, our world dies.  If we accept, we are responsible for aiding the Goa’uld in committing more atrocities.”</p><p>“It is no choice at all,” Omoc replied.  “We have always held ourselves to a high standard, refused to allow our technology to be used to destroy others.  This is no different.”</p><p>“It is,” another Chancellor said.  “If we do nothing, they’ll destroy us.”</p><p>“They’ll destroy us anyway once we’re no use to them,” Omoc countered.  “I refuse to allow the last act of the Tollan people to be to bring more death and destruction to the galaxy.”</p><p>“Then how do you propose we survive the next week?”</p><p>“Maybe we can help with that,” Daniel said.</p><p>“How?” Travell asked.</p><p>“We have allies, like the Tok’ra, who may be able to supply you with intelligence on Zipacna, his master, and the new shields he’s developed that makes them immune to your Ion Cannons.  Maybe you can figure out a way around it, modify the weapons so they’re effective again.”</p><p>“Or just shoot at him more than once,” O’Neill said.</p><p>“More than once?” Travell asked.</p><p>“Yeah.  If you shoot the bad guy and he doesn’t go down, shoot him again.”</p><p>“One shot from an Ion Cannon is all that’s always been needed.”</p><p>“Well, the rules just changed,” Jack said.  “So, you guys have to change to.”</p><p>Travell looked at the other Chancellors.  “If you’ll excuse us, we must discuss this matter privately."</p>
<hr/><p>Outside the Curia chamber, Jack and Daniel exchanged uneasy looks.</p><p>“You know, if they decide to go along with Zippy’s demands—”</p><p>“Our odds of leaving this planet alive drop precipitously?” Daniel finished.</p><p>“I was going to say ‘by a lot’, but yeah.”</p><p>“I do not believe the Tollan would ally themselves with the Goa’uld,” Teal’c declared.</p><p>“They had a trial for the snake that jumped into Skarra,” O’Neill countered.</p><p>“They do have a rather overdeveloped sense of fair play,” Daniel said.  “But Teal’c’s right, I don’t think they’d allow—”</p><p>He was interrupted as the door to the chamber opened, and Omoc walked out.</p><p>“After much deliberation, it was decided that we would accept your offer,” Omoc said.  “Four of your people may come to Tollana to study at our universities, in exchange for all information you can obtain on the Goa’uld, especially Zipacna and his master, now or in the future.”</p><p>“Well, that’s a relief,” Daniel said.</p><p>“We were caught unprepared,” Omoc replied.  “The Curia does not like to think that we could be outsmarted by the Goa’uld.”</p><p>“Especially so soon after the last time,” Jack added.</p><p>Omoc shifted uncomfortably.  “Yes.  We are resolved not to be caught unawares a third time.  We’d also like to take a look at the data you’ve collected from your unknown enemy, it may lead us in new directions to improve our defenses.”</p><p>O’Neill stepped forward, his face in one of its rare moments of utter seriousness and sincerity.  “If you like, we can send you military advisors as well.  Help you plan for your defense better.”</p><p>“We are not a warlike people, Colonel, and do not wish to be.”</p><p>“No, and I respect that,” Daniel said.  “But Jack’s right, you could use some help in thinking defensively.”</p><p>Omoc nodded slowly.  “I’ll bring it up with the Curia later.  They can handle only so much change in one day.”  He looked at Daniel, and smiled.  “You made a compelling argument, Doctor Jackson, and one I was hoping you’d figure out for yourself.  I utterly refuse to give you knowledge you have not earned, but I support wholeheartedly your attempt to earn it.”</p><p>“Thank you, Omoc.”</p><p>“Thank you, Doctor Jackson.”</p>
<hr/><p>One week later, Zipacna’s ship returned to Tollana.</p><p>“Have you considered my proposal?” he asked the Curia.</p><p>“We have, at great length,” Travell replied.</p><p>“And your answer?”</p><p>Travell smiled.  “Fire.”</p><p>Zipacna frowned, confused.  His confusion lasted only a moment before four Ion Cannons, modified with Plasma Phase Emitters, smashed into his ship’s shields.  The shields were proof against the old Ion Cannon technology, but the addition of Sectoid-based plasma weaponry weakened the shields, allowing some of the charged particle ion beam through, and the combined fire caused considerable damage to the ha’tak.  Follow-up shots damaged the shields, leaving the ship open to a volley of fire that obliterated it.</p><p>When informed of the new weapons’ success, Doctors Vahlen and Shen were pleased that the data they’d shared, while far from cracking it themselves, had helped their allies.  Jack was pleased that his “primitive” approach of combining fire had actually been listened to, and Daniel was pleased the Tollans weren’t dead.</p><p>Modifying their existing Ion Cannons were all the Tollan had time for in the space of Zipacna’s absence, but plans for Fusion Lance Batteries, also based on information shared from XCOM, were already well underway, and construction on a new line of Tollan defense weapons would begin within a month.  As a gesture of respect and thanks, the Tollan sent back to Earth the research they’d done that had unlocked the Fusion Lance weapon, though no actual plans for the weapons themselves, thus not <em> technically </em> violating their policy, since the information had originated with Earth in the first place, thus all the Tollan had done was save them some time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Stargate Command</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Two Months Later</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks to materials retrieved from the invader battleship captured by XCOM and assistance from the Tollan government, we’ve made an alteration to the plans for the X-303,” Major Davis said, bringing up the schematic on the briefing room screen.  “We’ll be removing four of the point defense railguns, four of the point defense lasers, and two of the heavy ship-to-ship lasers to include four Heavy Fusion Lances.”</p><p>“A what now?” O’Neill asked</p><p>“Based on these Fusion Cores recovered from the invader battleship, a Fusion Lance is basically a plasma weapon, but in this case the plasma is generated by a fusion reaction within the firing chamber of the weapon, which is then accelerated out the barrel towards the target.”</p><p>“Wow,” Carter said.  “It’s basically like firing a solar flare at the enemy.”</p><p>“Exactly, Major Carter.  Projections are that these versions could do substantial damage to a Goa’uld mothership, and the basic Fusion Lances being prepared for the Firestorm should bring down invader craft in a handful of shots, and even score damage against larger Goa’uld vessels.  The Tollan are building their own version, a Fusion Lance Battery.  The Heavy Fusion Lance for the X-303 is half again the size of the Firestorm version, and Tollan version is twice the size of our Heavy.”</p><p>“Any other plans to keep them from getting attacked again?” O’Neill asked.</p><p>“We’ve sent SG-3 as military advisors.  The Tollan are already planning to build a planetary shield network, it’s something they had the technology to do but just never thought of.  We’ve also shown them plans for the ship-to-ship missiles we’re developing for the X-303, based on older ICBM designs.  Equipped with Tollan phase-shifting technology and adapted to fire out to planetary orbital ranges, they should make a nice backup for their modified Ion Cannons and the Fusion Lance Batteries.  The Tollan are taking the idea under advisement.”</p><p>“And our students?” Carter asked.</p><p>“Cadet Hailey and the others report that they’re already learning a lot, though they’ve basically been bumped back to Tollan grade school to start learning the fundamentals.”</p><p>“I thought we negotiated for access to their universities?” Daniel asked.</p><p>“We did, and they’re still there.  But rather than taking classes with the professors, the other students are educating them in basics they’ll need to understand what the Tollan students are learning.  Reports are it’s a surprisingly profitable relationship for the Tollan.  Forcing the students to explain what they already know to someone without the shared background is making them focus more on things they’ve learned, but haven’t really thought about.”</p><p>Sam smiled.  “You never really understand something until you’ve taught it to someone else.”</p><p>Davis nodded.  “Exactly.  Exposure to our ‘primitive’ way of thinking is also having an effect, though the Tollan aren’t sure if they’re happy about it.”</p><p>“Why not?” Jack asked.</p><p>“Apparently, Hailey got two groups of students competing in some kind of building competition.  Tollan fire suppression systems are as efficient as everything else they have, and the wreckage is very exciting to some of the professors, but everyone involved is on a kind of academic probation.”</p><p>Sam smiled wider.  “Yeah, that sounds like Hailey.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, I had to do much reworking of this compared to the original posts on Spacebattles.  I'd originally glossed over Gangplank, then covered it in an interlude due to overwhelming requests (and, yes, skipping and saying it happened was a mistake).  So here I've interweaved the interlude with the main chapter so everything, hopefully, makes sense.</p><p>Here’s Gangplank, or the aftermath anyway.  I want to keep XCOM/SGC joint operations to a minimum, so when they do happen, they’re special.</p><p>XCOM is disassembling the battleship because they can learn more from that than trying to fly the thing, and the resources are very useful for other projects.  And it gives Prometheus Heavy Fusion Lances.  By the by, thinking about the question of “just what the heck is a fusion lance anyway” led me to this explanation.  I have no idea if it works, but it should be good enough.</p><p>In EU, Fusion Lances can take down just about any UFO in two or three hits, even the Battleships and Transports, which are bigger than a Goa’uld Al’kesh.  Now, the Ethereals don’t seem to have shield technology, at least not on their ships, so an Al’kesh or ha’tak might tank the hits a bit better, but it’s still probably the best ship-to-ship weapon XCOM and the SGC will have access to for quite some time.  The Heavy version planned for Prometheus is bigger, and thus harder-hitting, than what you have on a Firestorm.</p><p>It made sense to me that Jennifer Hailey would be one of the students sent to Tollana, and that she’d cause some amusing problems while they’re there.  It also made sense that, being exposed to a new point of view, the Tollan would start thinking in new directions, just through idea osmosis.  Having some Marines to suggest defensive measures doesn’t hurt, either.  The idea for phase-shifting interplanetary missiles was suggested by Spartan303, I was already planning to have the Tollan develop a planetary defense shield.</p><p>So, the thought I had was that, with XCOM reverse-engineering all this alien tech from the Ethereals, they’ve got a solid case to present to the Tollan that they are ready to start being trusted with more advanced technology.  A Spacebattler had suggested the idea of the SGC bartering, not to be given Tollan guns, but to learn how to make them themselves, specifically saying Daniel would ask for access to Tollana’s universities, and that the Tollan had actually been hoping Earth would ask for that, since they could then help their friends without violating their policy, since Earth would be earning the technology.  I decided to concentrate that point of view in Omoc, since he seemed the type who would be secretly pulling for these people to find a workaround he could live with.</p><p>I also wanted to place this bit at the time when Anubis sent an underling (Tanith in the show, Zipacna here) to Tollana to threaten them into submission.  Because the Tollans’ undoing in the show was primarily their lack of intelligence, by which I mean information on the threats that existed in the galaxy.  Closer ties with the SGC and Tok’ra might have alerted them earlier that a new Goa’uld was on the move with more advanced technology, and that they had best look to upping their defensive game if they wanted to keep living in peace.  And so, part of this deal is that Tollana gets access to Earth’s intelligence about the Goa’uld.  Of course, their main source of intel is still the Tok’ra, which is its own problem, but I think I’ll be dealing with that soon.</p><p>The Tollan are crazy stupid smart, so it made sense to me that, with access to Dr. Vahlen’s research and a week to prepare, they’d be able to modify their Ion Cannons to give a big, flashy, awesome middle finger to Zippy when he came back.  It may have been only those four that were modified in time, but it was enough to do the job.  And of course, they’re already working on even bigger, honkier space guns for next time.  Because as Omoc said, they’ve been caught with their pants down twice now, and they don’t intend for there to be a third time.</p><p>With Gangplank, XCOM sent Tollana a Fusion Core to work with, and the Tollan are gearing up to make Fusion Lance Batteries.  Basically a Fusion Lance from XCOM, but twice as big, mounted on a ground-based platform like the Ion Cannon, and capable of breaking up a ha’tak through sheer brute force.  Combined with their existing Ion Cannons and the Plasma Phase modification, they should be pretty well set.  And since XCOM gave them the impetus for the devices in the first place, sharing the research back isn’t really breaking any rules. . . XCOM would reverse-engineer that particular piece of technology soon anyway, so they aren’t giving them anything they aren’t on the verge of figuring out for themselves.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. For Great Science!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which one learns why one does not get on SGXCOM's bad side.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Nirrti’s Secret Lab</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Hanka</b>
</p><p>
  <b>August, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rings in the lab activated, Daniel, Teal’c, O’Neill, and Kelly looking as nothing materialized in the flash of light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, guys, I think I did that,” Daniel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re right, Doctor Jackson,” Kelly said loudly, turning toward Daniel.  The sound of her voice covered the soft click of the safety catch on her zat holster.  “That’s exactly what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Kelly whirled, and fired her zat at nothing.  The bolt disappeared in midair before arcs of lightning exploded around a nothing shape, before the nothing began to writhe and collapse, revealing the form of a black-clad woman who crumpled to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, well,” Jack said.  “Who do we have here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is Nirrti,” Teal’c said, bending down and removing the shroud from the woman’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Cronus is dead,” Daniel said.  “He was the one holding her captive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So she’s been running around free all this time?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Teal’c answered, pulling out a pair of zip ties and binding Nirrti’s hands.  He then added two more pairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you know she was here?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bioelectric Skin Gene Mod,” Kelly replied.  “Courtesy of Our Lady Of Scientific Coolness.  Lets me pick up someone’s bioelectric field, even if they're out of line-of-sight or invisible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our Lady Of Scientific Coolness?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dr. Vahlen,” Kelly said, then smiled.  “She </span>
  <em>
    <span>hates</span>
  </em>
  <span> it when we call her that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, that’s what that extra week at XCOM was for, then?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep.  I could have gone with Mimetic Skin, but I thought this would be more useful for us.  Plus, I didn’t want to have to run into battle naked so I could be invisible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naked?” Daniel and O’Neill asked together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not actually,” Kelly replied.  “The field extends outward so it affects your gear, too, but don’t ask me how.”  Kelly grinned again.  “But we don’t mention that to the Rookies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh,” Daniel said, reflecting once again on how bizarre these XCOM people were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, then,” O’Neill said.  “Kelly, pick her up.  Let’s haul her back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me?” Kelly asked.  “I zatted her, my job’s done.  Teal’c’s got all that Jaffa superstrength.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You zapped her, you carry her,” O’Neill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have got to talk about the standing rules around here,” Kelly muttered, hoisting Nirrti’s limp body over her shoulder.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Hey, General,” Kelly said cheerfully as they returned through the ‘Gate.  “I brought Cassie a birthday present.   A bit belated, but it’s definitely in her size.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kelly,” O’Neill said.  “I do the jokes here, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get one for humping her ass through the forest, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait a minute,” Hammond said, motioning to the black bundle over Kelly’s shoulder.  “Is that—?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Goa’uld Nirrti,” Teal’c declared.  “She followed us into her laboratory under an invisibility cloak, but Captain Kelly detected her and rendered her unconscious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s the first good news we’ve had all day,” Hammond stated.  “Airmen, get her to a holding cell.  Sergeant!  Call up XCOM, see if Dr. Vahlen can swing by and give us a hand interrogating the prisoner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cassie not doing well?” O’Neill asked over the chorus of “yessirs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s getting worse, and Dr. Fraiser isn’t taking it well,” Hammond replied.  “Not that I blame her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, soon as Nirrti wakes up, she’ll tell us how to fix her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really think it’s going to be that easy, Jack?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“I will also require a sample of the girl’s blood,” Nirrti said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Out of the question,” Hammond replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those are my terms,” Nirrti answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got a counterargument for you,” Hammond said.  “You tell us what we want to know, or we’ll get it out of you anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have no such technology.  And the Tau’ri are notably squeamish when it comes to torture.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Technically, you’re wrong on both counts,” Hammond replied, motioning to the two women in the room.  “This is Dr. Vahlen of XCOM, and Anise of the Tok’ra.  Dr. Vahlen, would you be so kind as to explain your procedure to the prisoner?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, General.  Initially, we would have begun by placing electrodes within your brain tissue, to begin reading the neural impulses as they fired.  Now, thanks to our understanding with the SGC and our Tok’ra allies, we use a modified Memory Recall Device—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti interrupted.  “That device is incapable of targeting specific memories, and requires the subject’s cooperation to work.  I will not cooperate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—a </span>
  <em>
    <span>modified</span>
  </em>
  <span> Memory Recall Device,” Vahlen continued, stressing the word, “to access and map the entirety of the brain at once, allowing for a much greater volume of information to be extracted.  The subject is then bombarded with ultrasonic waves and light patterns to force stimulation of certain areas of the brain.  As our map begins to form, we can alter the frequencies and wavelengths to stimulate any portion of the brain we choose, effectively downloading information directly from the neural tissue.  It is rather damaging to the subject’s brain matter, not even a Muton has survived the procedure.  Though I must admit, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> rather curious how the vaunted Goa’uld regenerative abilities will affect the duration.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You lie,” Nirrti said, a faint tremor in her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know me better than that,” Anise replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And how long would it take you to get the information we need, Doctor?” Hammond asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An hour.  Two, at the most.  I would project we’ll have extracted everything possible from her within four hours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond turned back to Nirrti.  “So, there you have it.  I’m glad Colonel O’Neill isn’t here to call me out on this, but here it is:  We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.  Your choice.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“So, Nirrti’s treatment worked?” Carter asked, leaning forward at the briefing table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite,” Dr. Frasier replied.  “Cassie’s fever is dropping, her EM levels are returning to normal, and all indications are she’ll make a full recovery.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond nodded.  “So now the question is, what do we do with Nirrti?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can still run her through Vahlen’s mind-sifter thing,” O’Neill suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t you argue hard against that when they wanted to do it to Tanith?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, they went ahead and did it, and nothing went wrong,” O’Neill shrugged.  “I say let ‘em take another crack at it.  It’s no more than she deserves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel shook his head.  “While I don’t necessarily disagree in principle, don’t you think it’s a bit harsh to put her through the very fate we used to scare her into helping us in the first place?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could not the Tok’ra extract Nirrti from her host as they did Tanith?” Teal’c asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is possible,” Freya replied.  “But Nirrti has held the same host for over two thousand years.  It is highly unlikely the host would be cogent after the extraction.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How unlikely, exactly?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya cleared her throat.  “The Tok’ra have extracted three symbiotes from hosts of comparable age.  The first committed suicide within three days.  The second was completely nonresponsive, unable or unwilling to move, speak, sleep, eat, or drink, and died within two days.  The third was inconsolable, raving constantly and apparently still under the impression he had no control over his actions.  The Tok’ra worked for two years to try and bring him back, but ultimately were forced to euthanize him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeesh,” O’Neill said, disgusted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was not easy for us, Colonel,” Freya said.  “The hosts of a Goa’uld are as much their victims as everyone else.  It is with deep regret we admit we cannot save them all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what are our options?” Hammond asked.  “Execute her, or let Dr. Vahlen interrogate her to death?  We can’t exactly put an immortal being in prison for life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, without regular access to a sarcophagus, she’s not immortal, just very long-lived,” Daniel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I may,” Vahlen said, raising a hand.  “I think I might be able to offer a solution.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that would be?” Jack asked warily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nirrti does indeed possess very valuable knowledge, but also a keen scientific mind, which makes her knowledge more valuable in her head than outside of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, do you want to give her a job?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hardly, Dr. Jackson.  I want to give her an ultimatum:  Assist XCOM in our research, and we won’t execute her, either through my interrogation chamber or your more ‘humane’ methods.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what makes you think you’ve got a chance at stopping her from escaping?” O’Neill demanded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or sabotaging your work or your base?” Hammond added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One of Dr. Shen’s Respirator Implants, modified,” Vahlen replied.  “A tamper-proof locking mechanism.  Instead of air shunts into the wearer’s trachea, needles into the carotid arteries.  Anise has informed me of a symbiote poison the Tok’ra have developed, we load the implant with a dose of this.  The rest is just programming the device to deliver the injection under the right circumstances.  If she enters an area of the base which is off-limits to her, she dies.  If she accesses research files she is not cleared for, she dies.  If any member of my research staff presses a panic button in the main lab, she dies.  If anyone in the Geoscape presses a specific button, she dies.  If she refuses to work, she dies.  If she attempts to leave her host, she dies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s. . . very thorough,” Carter said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s inhuman,” Dr. Frasier countered.  “You’re talking about making this woman a slave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After what she did to your daughter, Doctor, I thought you would be the last one to argue against this,” Vahlen replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t get me wrong, there’s a part of me that really wants to see her pay for what she’s done to Cassie, everyone else on Hanka, and thousands more I don’t even know about.  But. . . it’s still wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what do you think an appropriate punishment would be, Doctor Frasier?” Freya asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Janet sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least this way, we can benefit from her knowledge and expertise, perhaps bring about some good with her, despite herself,” Vahlen said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you seriously okay with this, Freya?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This does seem to be the most efficient use of Nirrti as a resource to this planet, and thus to our alliance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond looked around the table, gauging the reactions.  No one was clearly happy with it, but no one really had a better alternative to offer.  And everyone was, perhaps only in the privacy of their own minds, willing to let a little bit of morals slide for the sake of making Nirrti fully aware of the magnitude of the mistake she’d made in antagonizing the joint force of the SGC and XCOM.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t say I’m thrilled with the idea,” Hammond said after a while.  “But I don’t see a better solution presenting itself.  If no one else has something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well.  Dr. Vahlen, once I’m satisfied your security measures are up to holding this prisoner, you’re free to take her back to XCOM.  I expect to be kept apprised of any and all information you’re able to obtain from her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, General,” Vahlen said, smiling.  “Thank you so much.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, yeah, I’m keeping Nirrti around.  No, she doesn’t get cable.</p><p>I’m doing this for a few reasons.  One, before I thought of having Anise join XCOM, I was thinking that Vahlen having a Hot Scientist around who was even less ethical than herself would be fun.  Now that we’ve added Anise, I foresee a pretty interesting Freudian Trio of science emerging.  Also, Nirrti brings a unique perspective on humanity and the modification thereof, which will allow me to weave in a few more elements going forward to play into where this all ends up.</p><p>Of course, they have literally no reason to treat Nirrti with any kind of respect or comfort.  She gets kept solely so long as she’s useful, so really the only way she can serve her own self-interest at this point is to be as useful as possible.  She starts trying to pull power-play shit on Vahlen, well. . . you really think Vahlen’s going to stand for that?  This woman has tortured Berserkers to death (well, not yet in this story, but still) without batting an eye, I seriously doubt she’ll take any of Nirrti’s bull.</p><p>So yeah, I think it’ll be fun.</p><p>If you think Hammond is a bit out of character for A) being willing to let Vahlen essentially torture the information out of Nirrti, and B) to let Vahlen keep Nirrti as a science pet, I’d like to remind you that, in the episode proper, he was seriously entertaining the notion of letting Cassandra die so they could keep Nirrti and take advantage of what intelligence she had on the Goa’uld.  And I doubt he was planning to ask her nicely to share that knowledge, since that approach had zero success in getting Nirrti to cure Cassandra in the first place.</p><p>Frasier is also the voice of compassion here, since that’s her role as the doctor, and she wasn’t pushed quite as hard as she was in the episode proper.  She still doesn’t work too hard to convince anyone else, or even herself I think, that Nirrti is deserving of any kind of mercy for the things she’s done.</p><p>And yeah, Kelly’s making a couple of oblique references to Things XCOM Operatives Are No Longer Allowed To Do.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Interlude -- Wormhole X-Treme!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just couple quick addendums to the episode in question.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Wormhole X-Treme Set</b>
</p><p>
  <b>September, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>All in all, Kelly reflected, being a grip was exactly as much fun as it sounded.  Colonel O’Neill got to hang around with the writers and directors and actors, Teal’c – with a bandana on his head and answering to the name of Murray – was working the craft service table, while Kelly had to lug around whatever someone pointed at and told her to grab.</p><p>“Hey, you!” the director said, walking up to her and her armful of bad fake rayguns.</p><p>“Can I help you?” Kelly asked.</p><p>“Ooh, loving the accent too.  You have a great look, you know that?”</p><p>“Uh, thank you?”</p><p>“I think we could use you on the show.”</p><p>“Aren’t you already?”</p><p>“No, I mean in front of the camera.  A bit part, but an important one, and one that could really be a good thing for you.  So my question is:  how do you feel about nudity?”</p><p>Kelly raised her eyebrows.  “Excuse me?” she asked coldly.</p><p>“The studio’s been pushing us to make the show more ‘adult’, so here’s what I’m thinking.  You, a spunky, beautiful, badass army babe—”</p><p>“Army babe?” Kelly incredulously.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah.  The bad guy captures you, hauls you off to his planet, drags you into his throne room, and strips you naked before he kills you.”</p><p>“Strips me naked and kills me?”</p><p>“Yeah.  It’s sexy, it’s scary, it’s a little disturbing, and it’s sexy!  What do you say?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>The director looked at her, confused.  “Really?  No?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Why, what’s the problem?”</p><p>“I don’t have the breath and you don’t have the time for me to explain everything that’s wrong with what you just said.”</p><hr/><p>“You officially owe me one,” O’Neill said, handing the device to Tanner.</p><p>“Thank you, Colonel.  We won’t forget this.”</p><p>“Where are you headed?” O’Neill asked.</p><p>“We don’t know,” Tanner replied.</p><p>O’Neill nodded.  “I’d check out Tollana, if you can find it.  Tell them I sent you.  I think you’ll like it there.”</p><p>Tanner nodded.  “Thank you, Colonel.”  He clicked a button on the mobile computing device, and the three extraterrestrial humans vanished in a sparkly gold transporter beam.</p><p>“We could have really used that ship, sir,” Kelly said.</p><p>“I know, but with the NID crawling up their butts, we wouldn’t have been able get much out of them or it.”</p><p>“Dr. Vahlen would have gotten a lot out of them.”</p><p>O’Neill shuddered.  “Yeah, but Tanner and his guys aren’t bad.  Just scared.  I’d rather try and make friends with them than have Vahlen puree their brains.”</p><p>Kelly nodded.  “You’ve been hanging around Dr. Jackson too long.”</p><p>“Boy, tell me about it.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A really short one.  I wasn’t really going to do anything with this episode, but then I watched it again, and saw some potential.  Not enough for a chapter, but enough for a quick amusing scene.</p><p>The entirety of “Wormhole X-Treme” was to poke fun at SG-1 itself, and to some extent Sci-Fi in general.  But there’s one bit that was ripe for mockery they didn’t really touch on.  All the way back in Children of the Gods, the infamous nude scene, which was pretty much foisted on them by Showtime to make the show “adult” and was totally out-of-character for the rest of the series.  So I thought it would be fun to see Kelly responding to the pitch for a retread of that scene.</p><p>I’m also letting Tanner and his people get away.  I don’t feel they add all that much to the narrative at this point, though I might bring them back later.  They seem to be close to the Tollan in overall advancement, so maybe they could find sanctuary there.  Of course, they may or may not know how to get there, and with the NID closing in at this very second, Jack doesn’t exactly have the time to give them detailed information.  We’ll see if Tanner and his group can figure it out.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Operation Three Amigas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Vahlen, Anise/Freya, and Nirrti compete for the crown of Ms. Mad Scientist Of The Universe.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>XCOM HQ</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Brazil</b>
</p><p>
  <b>August, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This research is fascinating,” Nirrti said, leaning closer to look at the monitor.  “I had no idea. . . may I get a closer look at this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You may not,” Vahlen replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But this is part of what I’ve been searching for all these years.  This is the key I was missing in creating my hok’tar.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which is why you may not,” Vahlen said, reaching over and turning off the monitor.  “We are quite capable of pursuing this on our own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have been working for thousands of years at this.  I doubt you’ll make progress in a month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have made considerable progress already,” Anise stated.  “In isolating both the genetic sequences responsible and implants that amplify their effects.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A cybernetic component?,” Nirrti shrugged.  “A crude and inelegant shortcut.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Translation:  You’re upset you didn’t think of it yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti rolled her eyes at Anise.  “This configuration would compromise the symbiote’s neural connectivity with the host.  It would be useless to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen smiled.  “Then we will consider that the very definition of a fringe benefit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti kept her eyes from flashing in annoyance, though it was a near thing.  “Then why am I here, if you do not wish my assistance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do wish your assistance.  What can you tell me about the Eye of Tiamat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti blinked, her face going impassive.  “What of it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was recovered by SG-1 recently, along with a damaged sarcophagus, a pair of ring transporters, the personal effects of the Goa’uld Marduk, and the remains of a particularly nasty alien predator.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was anyone injured or killed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen ground her teeth.  “What can you tell me about the Eye of Tiamat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marduk kept it with him at all times.  Supposedly, it was a talisman that granted him great magical power.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what was it really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I never personally saw it, I do not know what it was fully capable of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are evading the question.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti smiled.  “I am answering your questions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, and truthfully.  But not the whole truth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are a clever human.  Most don’t catch on quite so quickly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.  Now what can you tell me about the Eye of Tiamat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti looked Vahlen in the eye.  Vahlen returned her gaze steadily, her hand straying down to fiddle with the pendant around her neck.  A single button, which if pressed, would deploy the Tok’ra symbiote poison from Nirrti’s collar, killing her instantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti sighed.  “When Ra took over as Supreme System Lord after slaying Anubis, he divided up six gems, called Eyes, among the System Lords Apophis, Ba’al, Balor, Osiris, Tiamat, and himself.  The Eyes are power sources of Ancient design, which can enhance systems to which they are connected.  Stories suggest that, used together, the Eyes’ powers would be multiplied tenfold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What powers, exactly?” Vahlen asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As I said, I have no personal experience with the Eyes, so I do not know.  I would imagine they could improve the performance of a ship’s systems if integrated with its power grid correctly, but I do not know how to do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen nodded.  “Well, sounds like something we should turn over to Area 51, for potential application aboard the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”  Vahlen brought up a new image on a monitor.  “Now, we’re looking to dismantle the damaged sarcophagus SG-1 recovered, so we may learn more about how it works.  What would be the best way to go about that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti sighed disgustedly, then went over the computer image very carefully, fully informing Vahlen of a safe and effective way to disassemble the device.  She was tempted to give them false instructions and let them blow themselves up, but she knew it wouldn’t prevent her from being killed once they figured it out.  She’d underestimated these humans twice already, and both times had been painful and humiliating lessons for her.  She would not underestimate them again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Dr. Vahlen said coolly when they were finished, motioning to two Base Security personnel.  “Take her back to her cell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I must once again request some form of mental stimulation while I am incarcerated,” Nirrti said as the men grabbed her upper arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think about what you’ve done,” Anise suggested.  “That should keep you occupied for a few centuries, at least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, Nirrti couldn’t stop her eye flash.  “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Tok’ra krim, kree shac shel nok!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did she say?” Vahlen asked as the guards dragged Nirrti away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She called me an unpleasant name, then suggested an action which, if anatomically possible, would be extremely uncomfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen blinked.  “Oh.  Well, I never thought her working for us would be easy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It impresses me that you’ve kept her contained and obedient as long as you have,” Anise replied.  “I would have expected her to kill everyone in this base and escape by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if she did kill everyone, the poison collar would kill her if she tried to leave without removing it, or if she removed it.  Her only hope of survival is to make herself valuable to us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree, but be wary.  Nirrti is particularly clever for a Goa’uld, and will take advantage of the slightest opening.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree,” Vahlen nodded.  “Which is why we won’t give her any.”  Vahlen motioned to the monitor that had so held Nirrit’s interest.  “Our Psi Lab is almost finished.  Once it’s done, we can start testing volunteers for psionic potential.  Combined with this implant we’ve devised from studying the Sectoid Commander, we should be able to tap into a considerable reserve of psionic power. . . if any of this actually works.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The research is sound,” Anise replied.  “It is a direction the Tok’ra had not considered, though we have little resources or leisure to pursue scientific study.”  She paused awkwardly, then sighed.  “Which raises a point I wished to discuss with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Tok’ra only take willing hosts, which are difficult to find.  With the advances being made here and at the SGC, there is some concern among the High Council that our people will become utterly superfluous to the Tau’ri when the Goa’uld are defeated, and that day seems to be looming closer than anticipated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought the Tok’ra were annoyed with SG-1 constantly bumping off System Lords only for even worse ones to take their places.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are, but the resulting chaos has had unpredictable effects on the Goa’uld power structure.  And the Tau’ri are making considerable progress in putting together allies to fight the Goa’uld.  We fear that our long war may be won in a relative blink of an eye, and afterwards, we will serve no purpose, and there will be no reason for others to agree to serve as hosts for us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen nodded.  “I suppose I can understand, from your perspective, how this is all happening so suddenly, and what role you might have to play when your enemy is gone.  I think about it myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise tilted her head.  “You do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  This is the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, after all.  What happens to us where there are no more extraterrestrials to fight?  Who gets all this technology, all these weapons, when we no longer need it to fight off these invaders?  What comes after we win?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We share a perspective, then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  But I don’t see how I can help you with your problem, any more than you can help with mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise nodded.  “I did not expect you to have a solution to hand.  But I hope that, somehow, we can find a way for both of us to have a future after our respective wars are over.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen smiled.  “I hope so, too.  It’s a problem we’ll have to put some thought behind, in between all our other projects.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise smiled back.  “Then I’m sure we’ll come up with a solution by lunchtime tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yay!  More excitement with our Science Sisters!  And wow, this got a lot more philosophical at the end than I’d planned.  But hey, you gotta go where the characters take you.  Anise has been thinking about the potential difficulties in finding willing hosts once the Goa’uld are all gone, and the science coming out of XCOM and the SGC, if shared with other human cultures in the galaxy, are going to make it that much more difficult for them.  The Tok’ra have a bit of an uphill battle ahead, and not just against the Goa’uld.</p><p>I’m not recapping episode 5.08 “The Tomb,” even though with no Russian involvement it would turn out very differently, because it’s just not that interesting a story without the Russians.  The commentary for the episode itself points out that the basic pitch (old tomb on an alien planet with dead Goa’uld and alien monster) had been laying around for awhile, but it needed something extra to really make it a story worth telling, and the Russians proved to be that something extra.  Otherwise, it’s just SG-1 running through dark halls being chased by a beastie, and we all know they could handle that in their sleep.  So, without Russian interference, the mission was utterly routine.  Carter and Teal’c sensed the Goa’uld in the sarcophagus, and O’Neill and/or Kelly and/or Teal’c and/or Carter probably blasted the critter when it first emerged, and then everything could be swept up and collected by other teams.  Which means Earth has a second sarcophagus, though Marduk’s was sabotaged so he couldn’t leave it, so disassembling it makes sense.</p><p>And they have the Eye of Tiamat.  Which means Anubis doesn’t get it.  Not sure what they can do with it, but. . . well, it’ll be something.  Something wonderful.</p><p>Of course Nirrti would be drawn to XCOM’s Psionic research, since she was basically trying to make an advanced human host with psychic powers.  It seems logical to me, given that just about every alien in EU has cybernetic implants of some kind, that XCOM’s Psionics take a “shortcut” using implants, explaining why you can, potentially (with a LOT of save scumming) get an entire roster of psychic troops.  It also potentially explains the absence of Psi Amps in EU, when they were present in both UFO Defense (I gather) and XCOM2:  the Psi Amps are internal implants, not external hardware.  That’s going to make it even more interesting when Cassie goes in for Psi Training move along, nothing to see here.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. No.  Just No.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>SG-1 meets Chryssalids.  Hilarity Ensues.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>The </b>
  <b>
    <em>Avenger</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Earth Orbit</b>
</p><p>
  <b>September, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How’s she handle, Hebron?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As expected, Colonel.  With proper Tok’ra supervision, your technicians succeeded in not screwing anything up.”  Hebron turned from the small, triangular viewscreen, and smiled at O’Neill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill stopped and blinked.  “Did he just—did you just make a joke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps a small one, Colonel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded.  “Eyes on the road.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hands at two and ten,” Hebron confirmed, turning back to the screen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I don’t know if I can handle a Tok’ra with a sense of humor,” O’Neill said, smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A warbling sound filled the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s bridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m picking up a strange reading,” Hebron replied.  “I cannot make it out. . . let me get closer.”  The ship glided silently through space, before coming to rest over the coast of northern Canada.  “I haven’t seen anything quite like this before,” Hebron noted.  “Strange EM readings, and a large number of odd heat signatures.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded.  “Let’s check it out.  Hebron, you trust the Major up here by herself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron nodded.  “Major Gant is quite capable of piloting the ship should the need arise, as well as operating the weapons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, give us a ride down in one of the Tic-Tacs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Hebron’s confused reaction and Major Gant’s stifled smile, Daniel replied “He means ‘Tel’tak.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, one of those.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Air Force technicians had removed most of the Staff Weapons from the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s armories, replacing them with L3 laser weapons.  SG-1 loaded up with a selection of pistols and carbines, while Teal’c and Hebron each grabbed a Zat and a Staff.  The armories also had Skeleton Suits, which everyone but Hebron put on.  Ten minutes later, they were heading for Newfoundland in a cloaked cargo ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron brought the ship in for a landing on the outskirts of a small fishing village, and SG-1 piled out of the ship into the brisk evening air.  Moving into the village, they saw no signs of life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is disturbingly little activity here, O’Neill,” Teal’c stated, sweeping the area with his staff weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The cliché is ‘it’s too quiet,’ Teal’c.  And yeah, it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence was broken by the roar of jet engines overhead, as a large aircraft came in low, then dropped down in a vertical landing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s XCOM’s Skyranger,” Carter observed.  “What are they doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably the same thing we are,” Daniel replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>SG-1 arrived at the Skyranger as Delta 2 emerged at the head of his squad.  “We have got to stop meeting like this, Colonel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Torres,” O’Neill nodded.  “What brings you to this neck of the woods?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Council whistled us up.  This village went dark a while ago, and the UN team sent to investigate vanished without a trace, so we’re coming in to straighten this out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Want some company?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never say no to free help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Synching their radios, the eleven members of SG-1 and Strike One began sweeping the village.  Several buildings were damaged, some still burning quietly.  Their feet crunched lightly on newfallen snow, stained in some places with human blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t until Kelly walked up to a Great White shark hanging over one of the piers that they began to understand what happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she approached, Teal’c and Eureka covering her, the shark’s belly split open, and a slime-and-blood covered form spilled out along with the shark’s innards.  Kelly backed up rapidly as the Chryssalid unfurled itself, only to be cut down by a shot from Teal’c staff weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roars began to erupt through the village, followed by the moan of humans manipulated by the Chryssalid embryos growing inside them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve got movement!” Big Sky announced from the cockpit of the Skyranger.  “Readings all over the place!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Delta 2 began shouting orders.  “Kelly, Teal’c, Striker, Eureka, advance!  Everyone else, cover them!  Fastlane, on that roof!  Pick off anything skittering towards us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fastlane nodded, and took a running leap up to the top of a four-story tin-sided building, covering the area with his laser sniper rifle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Torres, you know it’s only polite to ask before you start ordering around my people,” O’Neill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Colonel.  But you haven’t fought as many of these bugs as I have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which is why I’m not making a stink about it.  Much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Several more Chryssalids emerged, as well as a few zombies from the buildings to the teams’ right.  Laser fire cut them all down effectively, though Eureka took some claw hits that failed to do more than scratch her light grey paint.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A ship had run aground at the end of the main pier, a large rent torn in one side.  As Kelly, Teal’c, Striker, and Eureka approached, looking into the hole on the side of the ship, they saw several Chryssalids emerging from the corpse of a whale stored in the ship’s hold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is more than you can handle, Strike One,” Bradford said over the radio.  “What we need is an airstrike.  If you can reactivate the ship’s transponder, we can have air support pinpoint your location.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Screw that,” O’Neill countered.  “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s in orbit right above us, Major Gant can level this place with the guns.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron cut in on his own radio.  “Colonel O’Neill, I have been monitoring the situation.  To ensure a proper scouring of the area with orbital fire, Major Gant would require a targeting reference as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” O’Neill said through gritted teeth.  “Get the transponder up, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> will take care of this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy that,” Delta 2 replied.  “Central, new plan.  Call off the airstrike, we’re gonna nuke the suckers from orbit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is the only way to be sure,” Teal’c added quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright.  Striker, get that transponder up.  Teal’c, Kelly, Eureka, Fastlane, keep ‘em covered.  Everyone else, keep the route back to the Skyranger clear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Engaging Jet Boots,” Striker replied, leaping in a rocket-powered jump to the top deck of the ship.  A flamethrower blast eliminated the Chryssalids waiting for him, and he stomped over to the transponder, engaging it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laser fire spat out at the ever-increasing number of Chryssalids moving on the teams’ position, and it was starting to be a losing battle.  Except for Teal’c’s staff and the MECs’ Railguns, it took at least two soldiers combining fire to bring down one of the bugs, and their numbers were increasing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This experience is familiar to me, O’Neill!” Teal’c called as he joined the rest of the group, slowly pulling back from the onrushing horde.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was trying not to think about it!” O’Neill shouted back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right,” Daniel said after a moment.  “The Replicators on the Russian submarine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said I was trying not to think about it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re cut off!” Fastlane called from above, motioning behind them.  Another horde of Chryssalids were running past the Tel’tak and Skyranger, ignoring the ships and heading for the tasty humans and Jaffa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, crap,” O’Neill said, firing at the new group.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Big Sky, get clear.  O’Neill, order your ship out.  We gotta blow this place!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too damn familiar,” O’Neill muttered.  “Hebron, get out of here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Skyranger lifted off and jetted into the sky.  Moments later, the cargo ship also lifted off, but began moving towards them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“SG-1, prepare for ring transport,” Hebron said.  “XCOM, if you would cover them, I’ll pick you up once they’re safely aboard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do it!” O’Neill shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jumping down from the rooftop, pulling his laser pistol, Fastlane joined the other XCOM troops as they formed a perimeter around SG-1.  Hebron brought the ship low, deployed the rings, and SG-1 was brought aboard a second later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately getting clear of the rings, O’Neill called to Hebron.  “Get them out of there, now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Strike One pulled into a tight cluster, back-to-back and shoulder to shoulder, firing wildly at the onrushing horde of Chryssalids surrounding them.  The rings deployed again, and Chryssalid claws raked against naquadah alloy as Strike One vanished in a flash of light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aboard the cargo ship, Delta 2 pulled a Chryssalid claw out of his shoulder, the appendage severed in transport and leaking green alien ichor.  Smokes applied her medikit to the wound.  “Well, that was fun,” Torres said wearily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hebron, we clear?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leaving firing zone. . . now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Big Sky, you clear?” Torres asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Out of range and burning sky, Strike One.  See you at home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded to Hebron.  “Do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Touching the control crystal for the ship-to-ship communicator, Hebron spoke.  “Major Gant, you may fire when ready.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy that, Candy Box.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Golden bursts of plasma burned through the atmosphere and down into the small fishing village.  In a precise pattern of overlapping fire, Major Gant efficiently scoured the entire village and its environs, ensuring no Chryssalid escaped the fiery destruction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” Daniel said softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just – I never thought I’d be happy to see a Goa’uld mothership orbitally bombarding Earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” O’Neill replied.  “Been a weird day.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A Spacebattles reader, early in the story, commented it would be fun to see SG-1 tackle Site Recon alongside XCOM.  So I shamelessly stole the idea.  And since we had SG-1 going along with XCOM troops, I naturally had to ramp up the difficulty a hair.</p><p>I had some issues breaking this story, mostly that my ideal direction was a bit too similar to the climax of “Small Victories”, so I decided to embrace it.  O’Neill and Teal’c were aboard the sub, and Daniel was watching on the monitors, so I had him lampshade the reference.</p><p>The bit with Tic-Tac/Tel’tak/Candy Box is from the old SG-1 RPG forums.  A thread was started to discuss various reporting names the SGC might use, and someone had suggested cargo ships be called “Candy Boxes,” based on O’Neill misnaming them Tic-Tacs.  It was such a natural joke I’m surprised it wasn’t used on the show, and I’m glad I finally got a way to work it in here.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Operation Tricker Treat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Kinsey Kinseys like the Kinseyest Kinsey.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Senate Subcommittee Meeting Room</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Washington, DC</b>
</p><p>
  <b>September, 2001</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Senator Kinsey flipped the folder closed and shoved it, letting it slide across the mahogany tabletop.  “Meteor shower?  That’s really what we’re going with?” he asked snidely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Major Davis nodded.  “They look enough like meteors it’s plausible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goa’uld plasma weapons look nothing like meteors, Major, and if you think the American people are going to buy a story that flimsy, you seriously underestimate their intelligence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a pretty fair assessment of the intelligence of the average American,” Major Davis replied.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>They elected </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>you</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>, after all,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he added to himself.  “And this is the story that has been accepted by both the Pentagon and UN Council for Planetary Defense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And why not tell people the truth?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davis sighed.  “We’ve been over this, Senator, we can’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?  People already know we’re under attack by one group of aliens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we’re barely keeping global panic in check,” Davis replied.  “If we told everyone there were yet more aliens, possibly even worse than these ones, we’d have mass hysteria on our hands.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it would give people confidence to know the strides the SGC has made in keeping this world safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve captured one mothership, Senator, one.  The last attack on this planet by the Goa’uld had two motherships, and all reports are that the next Goa’uld who tries will bring a fleet of at least fifty.  We still can’t repel that kind of attack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The people deserve to be made aware of the facts in this matter, Major.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, Senator, let’s talk facts.  The fact is that an aerospace asset owned and operated by the United States Air Force fired on and obliterated a town on Canadian soil.  By anyone’s metrics, that’s an act of war.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They were acting in defense of this planet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That they had a good reason doesn’t make it legal, Senator.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey turned to the room’s monitor screen.  “And what does the Council make of all this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Canadian representative has agreed, retroactively, that SG-1 was authorized to deploy the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s firepower to curtail the alien threat, Senator,” the Spokesman said.  “The Canadian government is not necessarily pleased with the method, but they respect the outcome.  A Chryssalid infestation would have been far worse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The bottom line is—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Davis interrupted.  “The bottom line, Senator, is we can’t go public right now.  Opening this can of worms, at this juncture, would do far more harm than good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the longer you wait to open it, the worse it’s going to get,” Kinsey retorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not if we’re able to ease people into it, and unveil everything when we’re not under constant attack by another alien threat.  Let’s finish what’s on our plate now before going back for seconds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright.  I can’t force you.  But you mark my words, both of you.  Keeping this all under wraps is going to end badly.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Kinsey leaned forward at his desk, looking into the camera and speaking clearly for the microphone pinned to his lapel.  “Well, John, for matters of national security, I can’t go into specifics about the steps being taken to answer the extraterrestrial threat – a policy I must say again I am opposed to.  I have long maintained that it is better for the people of this great nation to be informed of the goings-on of their government, and that decisions made without the consent of the people goes against the very foundations of our democracy.  But I can assure you, everything humanly possible is being done to bring a swift end to this attack, and results are consistently being achieved.  You and your viewers have nothing to worry about.  These United States of America, and her allies, are on top of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Senator,” the news host said from his studio.  “That was as vague and unhelpful as I’ve come to expect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My pleasure,” Kinsey replied, familiar with the man’s base sense of humor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The interview ended, and the remote crew retrieved their equipment.  As they left his office, another man slunk in.  “Quite a speech.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you get in here, Mr. Tricker?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just Tricker.  And do I need a reason to drop by and see an old friend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not friends, never mind old ones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, but we can be.  Have you given my offer any further consideration?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what, exactly, am I supposed to be considering?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tricker smiled.  “Well, I understand you’ve been hankering to see XCOM put in its place for a while now.  Surely you’ve been keeping up with their current status?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey blinked as a memory clicked.  “The data raid on their research computers last month.  That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tricker smiled innocently.  “Me, Senator?  Why, what makes you think I’d have the skills or desire to do such a thing?  But I may have some friends who have some friends who do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s cut to the chase, Tricker.  What do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I was about to ask you that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was about to ask you, what do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what makes you think you can give me what I want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What makes you think I can’t, provided I know what it is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I’ve been in politics for twenty years, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as good at talking in circles as you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No circles, Senator.  Just a straightforward question.  What do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey shrugged.  “America.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey blinked.  “Excuse me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want America?  Yours, done deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey laughed.  “Yeah, like you have the keys to the United States in your pocket.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tricker smiled.  “I didn’t just mean the US, Senator.  From the bottom of Argentina to the tippy-top of Canada, the whole North and South American continents.  Yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re joking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey sat back and thought for a moment.  “And what do you want, Mr. Tricker, in exchange for the entirety of the New World?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tricker smiled.  “Just Tricker.  And a New World of our own.  My friends are rather sick and tired of the way things have been run on Earth to this point, and in this invasion, and the Stargate program, we see an opportunity.  An opportunity for a better world, one free from the problems and plagues we’ve grappled with up to now.  One with strong leadership, and a people driven by a common goal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What goal?” Kinsey asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The betterment of mankind.  At all costs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All costs,” Kinsey repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you and your friends, you’d decide what constitutes the betterment of mankind?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mentioned strong leadership, didn’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you did.”  Kinsey thought for a moment, then nodded.  “Alright, Tricker, I think you’ve got a new friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glad to hear it, Senator.  Now, the first thing we need is your assistance.  We haven’t been able to get any of our people into Stargate Command just yet.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>O’Neill held in a curse as he entered Hammond’s office and saw Senator Kinsey already sitting in one of the guest chairs.  “You wanted to see me, General?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Jack, come in.  Close the door.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack entered, pushing the door closed, and stood as far away from Kinsey as he could get.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack, the Senator here has something you’re going to want to hear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I very much doubt that, sir,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I think you’ll like this, Colonel,” Kinsey said.  “Tell me, are familiar with an organization called EXALT?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill shook his head.  “Should I be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond nodded.  “They’ve been tentatively identified by XCOM as responsible for some setbacks they’ve suffered recently.  The Commander and the Council are hashing out a means of response, since it appears, if this EXALT organization exists, they have operatives or spies widely enough placed that tipping them off is a very real concern.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s any of this got to do with us?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey smiled.  “Well, Colonel, I happen to know for a fact that one of the few organizations they haven’t infiltrated is the SGC.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And how would you know that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey’s smile grew.  “Because they recruited me to help them fix that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill blinked, then turned to Hammond.  “You’re right, General, I am glad to hear this.  Have we scheduled the Senator’s execution yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey laughed.  “Colonel, do you honestly think I’m dumb enough to agree to work with an international terrorist organization and then come here and brag about it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You might be,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond shook his head.  “Senator Kinsey has offered his access and assistance to us and XCOM to bring down EXALT.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” O’Neill asked, turning back to Kinsey.  “What’s in it for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey frowned.  “Colonel, we both know you don’t like me, and I’m not exactly in your fan club, either.  But though we have different ideas on what it is and how to go about it, we both hold the welfare of this nation in the highest regard, and would do anything in our power to safeguard it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So like I said, what’s in it for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not having EXALT take over the world is what’s in it for me, Colonel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill shook his head.  “I’m not buying it.  Kinsey never did anything that didn’t benefit Kinsey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t argue that point, Colonel.  But is it really so hard to believe that my self-interest and the interests of this nation might be aligned in this case?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack,” Hammond said quietly.  “If Senator Kinsey can be of assistance in stopping a rogue element from hampering XCOM’s efforts, I believe it’s worth looking into.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t be serious, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More often than you, Colonel,” Hammond replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Jack said.  “But expect a big fat ‘I told you so’ when this blows up in our faces.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And when it doesn’t,” Kinsey said, “I’d like an apology for not trusting me, Colonel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not.  Gonna.  Happen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel,” Hammond said.  “I am ordering you to escort Senator Kinsey, via ring transport through </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>, to XCOM HQ, where you, he, Bradford, and anyone else XCOM deems necessary will discuss the Senator’s intelligence and how best to pursue joint and separate actions against EXALT.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded.  “Yes, General.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey smiled, standing.  “Well, Jack.  I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, bite me.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, yeah.  That just happened.</p><p>This replaces the events of episode 5.11 “Desperate Measures”, since with no Russian program there’s no captured Jaffa for Adrian Conrad to “buy” and try and use the symbiote to heal himself.  So, Adrian Conrad is dead. . . unless he happens to be working with someone else who could offer him a means to extend his life via definitely unethical scientific procedures.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Operation Smug Snakes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>More talking. . . this time among the Goa'uld.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Space Station</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Hasara System</b>
</p><p>
  <b>March, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lord Ba’al,” the herald said, announcing the entrance of the final System Lord to the meeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” Lord Yu said, nodding to Ba’al.  “Now we can begin,” he added, looking around the room at the other assembled System Lords, finally stopping at the one seated in the position of power at the head of the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yu would have gladly killed the Goa’uld then and there, but for the might the System Lord commanded.  Challenging one such as this would be the height of foolishness, and so the System Lord’s had bowed mostly graciously and appointed a successor to Ra’s vacant throne of the Supreme System Lord.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Apophis said, rubbing his newly-healed cheek.  “Tell me why you have all summoned me here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you are failing to uphold your end of our bargain,” Ba’al replied with his customary smugness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep a respectful tongue in your head, or I shall remove it!” Apophis retorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My tongue or my head?” Ba’al asked innocently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Both!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kali shook her head.  “Lord Ba’al speaks out of turn, but he speaks truthfully.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis turned his scowl on Kali.  “How do you perceive I am failing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al smiled.  “Surely you are aware, Great Lord Apophis, that the forces of all System Lords assembled here have suffered losses at the hands of an unknown enemy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Apophis said, knowing nothing of the sort.  If these fools couldn’t defend their armies and holdings from any idiot with an al’kesh, they deserved neither them nor the rank of System Lord.  “And it has nothing to do with me or our bargain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I disagree,” Ba’al replied.  “We supported you as Supreme System Lord because, with the might of your army and fleet supporting ours, we were to crush all enemies of the Goa’uld.  We are being attacked by an enemy of the Goa’uld, and your fleets are nowhere to be found.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And have you been moving your forces in preparation for the attacks I plotted?” Apophis countered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have tried,” Bastet replied.  “I lost three ha’taks searching for Asgard ships in the regions you suggested.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I lost four ships guarding the naquadah refinery and weapons factory you had me build,” Ba’al added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I lost six ships trying to take it back!” Olokun finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis threw up his hands.  “I still fail to see how any of this is my concern.  You are responsible for your own armies, and if you cannot lead them to victory, other Goa’uld who wish the rank of System Lord will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al smiled again.  “The deal was, Lord Apophis, that we name you Supreme System Lord in exchange for your protection.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Protection from </span>
  <em>
    <span>me!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Apophis replied.  “I could still destroy all of you combined.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And be helpless against this enemy when he comes for you,” Ba’al answered smoothly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> your problem, Apophis,” Yu stated.  “We have agreed to serve under your rule.  As our leader, it is your duty to see to the welfare of those you lead.  So are you our leader, or are you not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis glowered at Yu.  The damnable old man had a habit of being right far more often than Apophis liked.  “Then what would you have of me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dispatch your ships to supplement ours,” Morrigan answered.  “This enemy has a technological advantage we cannot overcome, and is clever enough to hit us where we do not have the numbers to overwhelm.  Bring your ships in with ours, that this enemy’s victories are at least more costly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we must pool our knowledge of this adversary,” Yu added.  “We must find him and strike him down before we are bled dry by pinpricks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis narrowed his eyes.  This all seemed like a scheme to get him to spread his forces thin, place them in positions where they could be taken apart piecemeal by the other System Lords as a prelude to dethroning and destroying him.  And yet, if this new enemy was real, and the threat they claimed he posed accurate. . . </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will consider it,” Apophis said condescendingly.  “But for now, I should like to know all you know about this unknown enemy, that I might make the wisest decision possible about how to proceed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over the next several hours, Apophis listened to the reports that had come in about this new enemy, and they were not encouraging.  Whoever it was had an intimate understanding of Goa’uld battle doctrine, able to exploit vulnerabilities in the methods of attack that had always yielded victory in the past.  What direct reports of the enemy ships made its way back indicated that, individually, the enemy’s ships were at least half again as powerful as a standard ha’tak, perhaps more.  The ships appeared in small numbers, no more than four had been spotted together at any one time, leading to the conclusion that the enemy had limited resources to work with in constructing a fleet and army.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I must observe this enemy for myself,” Apophis finally decided.  “I shall take my mothership, and an escort of ha’taks, to areas where this enemy has been most active, to respond quickly to any new attack.  I will discover who this foe is, I will crush his fleets and armies before me, and I will make him suffer an eternity of torment before finally allowing him to die for his crimes!”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>As Apophis departed for his mothership, he reflected on how his brilliant plan to bring the galaxy to heel had been caught in the opening vortex of a Stargate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yu had been unable to locate the new Tok’ra base, or any sign of the Tok’ra that might lead them to it.  Apophis was certain they were still infiltrating the Goa’uld’s ranks, sowing their discord, but none had so far been captured.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis had hoped the other System Lords would be able to encounter an Asgard ship, and he could test if the Goa’uld had sufficient numerical superiority to best them in open battle, thus finally putting an end to the annoyance of the Protected Planets Treaty, and especially the interference of the Tau’ri.  But the Asgard were nowhere to be found, and Apophis was hesitant to provoke them by attacking a Protected Planet to draw them out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reports of deepening friendship between the Tau’ri and Tollan were worrisome, but the Tollan were, in their own way, just as dangerous as the Asgard, and it seemed they had recently begun a program to improve their defenses even further.  Without knowing more about what they were capable of, it would be a very costly victory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And underneath it all, the simmering resentment of the other System Lords, all sitting back and waiting, like a pack of scavengers, for any sign of weakness, to pounce on Apophis and tear him and all he had built apart.  And now, this new, mysterious enemy, undermining all his plans and forcing him to divert his attention from the Goa’uld’s real enemies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Apophis had not gotten to where he was by giving up.  He would continue, and he would prevail.  He had been dead more than once, he had been to Sokar’s hell and escaped the other side stronger for it.  He would persevere now as well, he would defeat this new enemy and all others who came after him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if only by outliving them.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This replaces episode 5.15 “Summit”.  Since Apophis wasn’t killed at Vorash (or, actually killed by colliding with Delmak on a ship full of Replicators after being shot into another galaxy by hyperdrive interactions with a supernova), we’re finally getting a glimpse at what he’s been up to.  Namely, uniting all the System Lords behind him as Supreme System Lord, the spot Ra held until O’Neill introduced him to nuclear fusion.</p><p>With the might Apophis commands, taking the fleet Sokar had built, adding in Heru’ur’s fleet, and with the industrial base he had on Delmak, he was pretty much unassailable by the other assembled System Lords.  Sure, together they might be able to pull out a victory, but at least one of them was highly likely to die fighting, something the Goa’uld are generally averse to.  So when Apophis showed up with the largest fleet and army anyone had ever seen and said “kneel before me, bitches,” bitches knelt.</p><p>And now Apophis is learning that there’s more to being a ruler than a fancy throne and the ability to order folks about.  The System Lords have a problem (who could that be, I wonder?) and Apophis has to deal with it, or lose the tenuous respect of his underlings.  So he’s going to get personally involved.  That should be interesting.</p><p>Apophis’ face was severely scarred during his time under Sokar, though he was shown to be recovering from the injuries over the course of his tenure on the show, likely through heavy sarcophagus use.  Since it’s much later in the timeline than his death in the series, it made sense to me that he’d be fully recovered by now.</p><p>Apophis had a grand plan to use the massive might of a combined Goa’uld to wipe out all their enemies, but it turned out to be not nearly so simple as he thought.  And, of course, there’s the very good question of whether his plans would have worked at all outside his own mind. . .</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Trust On Tempestuous Terms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Terrible Teamwork Tries To Terrorize Teammates</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Secret Tok’ra Base</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Planet Off The Stargate Network</b>
</p><p>
  <b>March, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The world on which the Tok’ra had built their new base was pleasant, if a bit chilly, filled with dense forests of mostly deciduous- and conifer-like trees.  The Stargate had been set up in a large, flat plain caused by deep bedrock and shallow topsoil.  Upon arrival, SG-1 were greeted at the Stargate by several Tok’ra, including Jacob Carter/Selmak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to Niss Trah,” Jacob said, shaking Colonel O’Neill’s hand as the group reached the bottom of the ramp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t miss it,” Jack replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel looked at Jacob, confused.  “You named your new base world ‘I am here?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we did,” Jacob replied.  “Because we are here, and we remain here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel nodded.  “Makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Tollan delegation should be arriving shortly,” Jacob said.  “We can wait over here,” he motioned the group a few feet away from the ‘Gate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that?” O’Neill asked, pointing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob smiled.  “That’s our first city.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Less than half a mile from the Stargate, a shimmering crystal structure rose some ten stories, spreading at least four miles wide.  The basic structure of the Tok’ra tunnel crystals gave away its origin, but it looked quite different from what SG-1 had come to expect from their allies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No underground base this time?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob shrugged.  “Unnecessary.  This planet never had a Stargate before now, we’re the only ones who know its coordinates.  The Goa’uld can’t find us here.  And even if they did, there’s a conventional underground base a mile that way,” Jacob pointed more than ninety degrees off from the city.  “Close enough to get to in the event of Goa’uld attack, but far enough away that it’s unlikely to be discovered, and still close enough to the Stargate to evacuate if necessary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack nodded.  There wasn’t much he admired about the Tok’ra, but their finely-honed sense of paranoia was one of them. . . when it wasn’t biting Earth in the ass, that is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still, seems like a pointless risk,” Daniel replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Tok’ra have hidden in tunnels for thousands of years,” Jacob said.  “Now that we finally have a secure, permanent base, we want fresh air and the ability to look out windows.  We don’t think that’s too much to ask.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter smiled.  “Of course not, Dad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later, the Stargate activated again, and the Tollan delegation stepped through.  Omoc led the way, with Narim close by his side, followed by a young woman in the garb of the Tollan Security Forces and a man in conventional Tollan grey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to Niss Trah,” Selmak said, bowing.  “It is our honor to welcome our Tollan friends once again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And ours to be welcomed,” Omoc said curtly, nodding to Selmak, then to O’Neill.  “Colonel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Omoc,” O’Neill replied flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You all know Narim,” Omoc said, before indicating the other two Tollans.  “This is Leshon, one of Tollana’s leading scientific minds, and Jeneth, a member of our Security Forces.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have nothing to fear while on Niss Trah,” Selmak replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Narim cleared his throat.  “We have decided to borrow from our friends of Earth.  No Tollan is to venture to another world through the Stargate without an armed Security Forces escort.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Smart,” O’Neill said, somewhat sarcastically.  One person with a little raygun was hardly as effective as his five-person team with lasers, zats, and a staff weapon, but at least the Tollan were learning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well,” Selmak replied.  “Come, I will show you Niss Trah city.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The city was very impressive, with sweeping halls, large balconies with impressive views, large rooms with windows open to the air (which could be closed off with forcefields to allow air in, but keep native vermin out), and the traditional Tok’ra disdain for doors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a brief tour, showing their guests rooms for meetings, strategy sessions, and weapons training, Jacob/Selmak led the group to another meeting room, where High Council Garshaw of Belote awaited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome,” she said, smiling.  “Please, be seated.”  The groups took their places at the triangular table, specifically grown by the Tok’ra for meetings such as these.  “I must say, this is rather exciting.  Despite some setbacks and problems, the Tau’ri/Tok’ra alliance has proved fruitful, and though our friendship with the Tollan has been somewhat distant, we are pleased to count them such.  The three of us, uniting our goals and methods more fully, have the potential to achieve great things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We agree,” Omoc replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As do we,” Daniel added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, we shall begin,” Garshaw said.  “It has come to our attention that the Tollan wish greater access to our intelligence on the Goa’uld, specifically the master of Zipacna, who recently attempted to attack and extort the Tollan people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do,” Omoc replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unfortunately, we have little knowledge to share at present.  We do know that the System Lords, united under the rule of Apophis, have suffered attacks recently from an unknown enemy.  We suspect, but cannot confirm at this time, that this enemy is another Goa’uld, which would make him or her an excellent candidate to be Zipacna’s master.  The enemy in question is using ships with a technology more advanced than that of the Goa’uld, and is employing hit-and-run strategies to avoid confronting the numerically vastly superior forces of the united System Lords in open battle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This technology would be consistent with that which allowed Zipacna’s ship to withstand Ion Cannon attack?” Narim asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We cannot confirm that, but it seems likely,” Garshaw answered.  “If it is not, then there would be another threat to the Goa’uld of which we have no knowledge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is the alien coalition or whatever that’s attacking Earth,” Daniel pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Garshaw nodded.  “We have examined the reports of your enemy, Doctor Jackson.  It seems unlikely based on the level of technology you have recovered from them, that these invaders could pose a legitimate threat to the System Lords.  Their ships, by and large, are significantly smaller, and while their weapons technology is on par with that of the Goa’uld, you have recovered no evidence of defensive energy shields on their vessels.  Even with their naquadah-trinium-carbon alloy hulls, it puts their ships at a durability disadvantage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have also examined the data you’ve sent us,” Omoc added.  “The technology is interesting, and we are adapting some of it for our own use.  Construction on Fusion Lance Batteries to supplement our Ion Cannons is ongoing, and we are manufacturing the alloy their ships use to armor our existing emplacements, as well as the generators for the planetary shield network.  Their Elerium power source, however, remains a mystery to us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel shot Omoc a confused look.  “A mystery to you?  Dr. Vahlen said she’s nearing a breakthrough in adapting Elerium power sources for both XCOM’s HQ and their Firestorm project.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omoc scowled, and Narim spoke up before Omoc could say something regrettable.  “What we mean is that the material itself is a mystery.  The means of harnessing power from it are extremely simple, but transforming even weapons-grade naquadah into Elerium is a process we do not yet understand.  There seems to be a catalyst for it that defies our attempts to analyze it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are also drawing up plans for system patrol ships,” Omoc added.  “The plan is for them to remain phase-cloaked until they are called upon to engage enemy ships our planetary defenses are unable to destroy on their own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Smart,” O’Neill replied more seriously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you like,” Garshaw said, “we can send an expert in Goa’uld technology to Tollana, to suggest potential ways in which you could more efficiently exploit weakness in their vessels.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We would appreciate that,” Omoc said, nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill perked up.  “You know, we’ve got a Goa’uld mothership in orbit around Earth.  You could send some of your people over to poke around, see what you can figure out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omoc hesitated, then nodded.  “That would be most helpful, Colonel.  Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On the subject of sharing intelligence,” Daniel said, leaning forward.  “You mentioned all the System Lords are united under Apophis?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is correct,” Garshaw answered.  “With the size of his fleet and army, he was able to persuade the other Goa’uld to acknowledge him as Supreme System Lord.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see.  How long ago was this, exactly?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shortly after you helped us relocate from Vorash to here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right.  And you didn’t feel this was worth mentioning before now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What would you have done differently if we had?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Been a lot more cautious about visiting potential Goa’uld-held worlds, for one,” Carter replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’ve got a point, Garshaw,” Jacob said.  “This alliance is as much a threat to Earth as it is to us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Earth is a Protected Planet by the Asgard,” Garshaw replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we both know Apophis has had the System Lords looking for Asgard ships to test his new numerical superiority against,” Jacob countered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He has?” Jack and Daniel asked simultaneously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is what we believe,” Garshaw replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, see,” Jack exclaimed.  “This is what’s wrong, right here!  You don’t tell us these things!  You only call us up when you </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> something.  It’s always ‘suicide mission this, save the planet that.’  Frankly, I’m sick of you –” he turned to face Omoc “—both of you—treating us like damned kids!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel pushed up his glasses.  “Um, what Jack means to say—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think Colonel O’Neill’s words are quite plain,” Omoc replied sharply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree,” Garshaw added flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’ll allow me,” Daniel continued.  “What Jack means to say is that, while we recognize you both have very good reasons to keep things to yourself, you are jeopardizing Earth’s security and survival by trusting us as little as you do.  We’ve shared all the information we have in good faith, and all we ask in return is to be extended a bit more trust in response, as we believe we have earned it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before anyone could reply, he continued.  “And if I may, none of us would be sitting here if not for the efforts of Earth and the SGC.  High Council Garshaw, Tanith had all but escaped your custody before Captain Kelly incapacitated him.  What would have happened had he been allowed to run free on Vorash?  What might he have done?  And this lovely city you’ve built – </span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> made that possible by helping you move your Stargate.”  He turned to Omoc.  “Zipacna had a ship that was immune to your best weapons’ technology.  We offered you the means to keep your world safe from his attack, saving you from compromising your principles or being outright destroyed.  Now, I’m not saying that you owe us your lives, but we have given you a great deal of assistance, and we’re not asking for very much in return.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hesitantly, Omoc nodded.  “You are correct, Doctor Jackson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment, Garshaw nodded as well.  “Indeed.  It was an oversight we shall not make again.  You have our apologies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s a first,” Jack muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a suggestion,” Carter spoke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Major?” Garshaw asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we’ve sent the Tollan SG-3, at least on a temporary basis, as military strategy consultants.  We could establish a more permanent presence on Tollana, with a dedicated team of military advisors and intelligence analysts to work with the Curia in keeping their defense as tight as possible.  We could also assign an intelligence officer here, with the Tok’ra, to help you decide what information we’d be interested in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This officer would have access to all our intelligence, then,” Garshaw replied distastefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not necessarily, though that would be ideal, and hopefully we could work our way up to that kind of arrangement.  But I think, just that fact that an Earth officer would be here permanently would mean we wouldn’t, shall we say, slip your mind so much?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Garshaw blinked at the unfamiliar turn of phrase, but Jacob chuckled lightly, before offering an approximate Goa’uld idiom.  Garshaw nodded.  “Sensible.  I’ll have to discuss it with the rest of the Council.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Jack said sarcastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take your time,” Daniel added diplomatically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would likewise need to bring this to the Curia,” Omoc said.  “However, given how useful SG-3 has proven, I feel confident they can be persuaded to accept.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Jack replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we all need to be clear on one thing,” Daniel said.  “And that’s what our individual goals are for this alliance.  We each need to know what we want, and what the others want, so that we don’t get in each other’s ways.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We wish only to defend our people,” Omoc replied.  “It may sound callous to the rest of you, but the affairs of the wider galaxy are of little concern to us, so long as Tollana and her people remain safe and free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel nodded.  “We want the same thing, but we believe we can only be safe and free once the threat of the Goa’uld, and likely the invaders attacking Earth, are removed as a force in the galaxy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We seek to eradicate the Goa’uld as a species,” Garshaw declared.  “Every last System Lord and underling, from the top down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to wipe them out,” Jacob added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel blinked.  “You realize that means killing off the Jaffa, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Jaffa have murdered countless Tok’ra,” Garshaw replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the orders of the Goa’uld, on whom they’re dependent for their very survival.  Not all of them had a choice, and many of them would be free if they could.  They could be a very potent ally.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will believe that when we see it,” Garshaw stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not opposed in principle to making the Goa’uld functionally extinct, it’s no more than they deserve,” Daniel replied.  “But the Jaffa, and a lot of others, are just pawns.  We have to be careful about how we go about this, so we don’t alienate the very people we’re trying to benefit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not to sound egotistical, Daniel, but the Tok’ra are out to benefit themselves,” Jacob said.  “We’re morally opposed to everything the Goa’uld stand for, true.  But at the end of the day, for us, this war is simple survival.  Either the Goa’uld die, or the Tok’ra do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m just saying, I think we can find a way to do it that benefits everyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Except the Goa’uld,” Jack added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Except the Goa’uld,” Daniel confirmed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you think of one, we’d be happy to hear it,” Garshaw replied.  “Until then, we will—we will take the advice of our allies under advisement,” she finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was, Daniel reflected, not exactly a rousing endorsement, but really the best he could probably hope for at the moment.  He was certain of one thing, however.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If they were going to make all this work, they’d need a </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> diplomat.  And soon.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This replaces episode 5.16 “Last Stand.”  Technically, this and the previous chapter replace both episodes, since they were a concurrent two-parter, but I decided to split the chapters between Goa’uld and Tok’ra/Tollan/Tau’ri because it made sense.</p><p>The Tollan did have some diplomatic relations with the Tok’ra (calling them in to de-snake Skarra, for one), but it never appeared all that close, and the Tok’ra certainly weren’t providing the Tollan with intelligence that could have kept them relatively safe from Anubis.  So here, I’m drawing the ties binding all three groups a bit tighter, so we can have some better results.</p><p>Niss Trah was the best name I could find in Goa’uld Language for a Tok’ra homeworld.  It made sense to me, as a kind of declaration of defiance.  It also made sense to me that the Tok’ra would build an actual city on a planet they believed to be perfectly secure, but still have some hidden tricks in case they did get found out.  These people haven’t survived as long as they have by being stupid.</p><p>Garshaw was one of the first Tok’ra we met, and sadly never seen again, since Sarah Douglas is quite the actress.  So I’m keeping her around.</p><p>One of the interesting things in XSGCOM was that Commander Sharpe was (sometimes rightly) perceived as such an Ax-Crazy lunatic that he made the rest of humanity look so much better by comparison.  Without Sharpe, or a similar XCOM officer, we get to see that Jack really shouldn’t be allowed at intergalactic diplomacy meetings.  A lot of Earth’s allies, I think, don’t particularly like him, the Asgard being the notable exception.  Which makes sense, if one takes the “Thor taught us to stand as equals” attitude of the Cimmerians at face value.  The Asgard ethos that would teach that to their Protected people means that Jack’s irreverent, take-no-shit attitude means that he, and by extension Earth, is ready to stand as equals with the Asgard, if not technologically, than in sheer chutzpah.</p><p>But anyway, Jack’s attitude means that, while a point that needs to get made will get made, it may do so in a way that alienates people.  Thankfully, he’s got Daniel to help smooth things out, and make a few very sharp points of his own, but Daniel is not a diplomat by trade, and he’s rapidly learning how out of his depth he really is.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Where's The Ka-Boom?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There was supposed to be an Earth-Shattering Ka-Boom!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>The </b>
  <b>
    <em>Avenger</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Earth Orbit</b>
</p><p>
  <b>April, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m apparently still not getting the hang of this,” Major Gant said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron joined her at the flight controls for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  “What seems to be the problem?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This sensor reading.  It makes no sense at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron leaned over her shoulder to look, then frowned.  “You’re right.  May I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gant stepped aside, and Hebron took over the controls, cycling through several different sensor settings, trying to clean up the reading.  “This really doesn’t make sense,” Hebron added after a moment.  “I knew those XCOM techs were going to screw something up installing those gravity-wave sensors.”  Cuing the system for a full diagnostic, Hebron frowned as the results came back.  He checked and rechecked readings of known objects in Earth’s solar system, and compared them with both stored readings in the ship’s computer and the Tau’ri’s own measurements.  After two hours of this, his confusion was only increased, but also joined by a sense of impending dread.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hebron keyed up the radio.  “SGC, this is </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  We have a problem.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>In the briefing room at the SGC, Carter brought up the composite image made from the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s sensor readings.  “The asteroid is over 137 kilometers long,” Carter said.  “Hebron made some pretty detailed scans, so we have a good idea of its mass.  It’s also on a direct course for Earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve seen this movie,” Jack said wearily.  “It hits Paris.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, the impact will be somewhere in the Arctic, possibly Greenland,” Carter replied.  “But that’s not our problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The giant asteroid hitting Earth </span>
  <em>
    <span>isn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> our problem?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter shook her head.  “No, the problem is that Hebron’s scans showed a mass discrepancy based on its size.  More detailed scans, in part using XCOM’s gravity wave sensors for detecting invader ships, revealed that the asteroid has a core of solid naquadah, which makes up approximately 45% of its volume.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, that means?” Jack asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, for starters, we can’t use an explosion to deflect it.  The naquadah would enhance the explosion, likely to the size of a small nova, and cause catastrophic damage to the Earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naquadah does not naturally occur in this solar system,” Teal’c stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it doesn’t.  Combined with the fact that the asteroid is well off the plane of the ecliptic, where all the planets, moons, and asteroids in the Solar System are, it seems highly likely this is actually an attack by the Goa’uld, with the asteroid meant to circumvent the Protected Planets Treaty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since the Asgard can’t interfere against natural disasters,” Daniel added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t natural,” Jack stated.  “Let’s give Thor a ring.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, sir, I don’t think we need to.  Now, we know that naquadah doesn’t exist in our solar system, so the Goa’uld must have towed it through hyperspace to get it here.  I’ve done some calculations with Hebron, and with some finessing, we can get the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s hyperdrive to open a window big enough to move the asteroid back out of the Solar System.  Then comes the tricky part.  Using sublight engines, Hebron would bring the asteroid into a stable orbit far enough out and behind other objects that it won’t be detected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not just sling it off into space?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s 45% naquadah by volume,” Carter replied, smiling.  “If our mass calculations are within an acceptable margin of error, that’s still well over 5 billion tons of raw naquadah ore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“5 billion?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With a ‘b’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Major Carter,” Hammond said.  “Are you seriously suggesting we try and mine this asteroid?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do we have any way of actually doing that?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter frowned.  “Not as such, but we have some ideas.  First, we have the two cargo ships from the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  With some trained pilots, we can easily and economically reach the asteroid.  We’ll need astronauts and experts from NASA, but most of NASA has been cleared for information on the Stargate program anyway.  The real hurdle will be finding people with mining expertise who can be cleared for access, and developing and building equipment to function in vacuum and lower gravity.  It’ll take a bit of training and trial-and-error, but I think it’s doable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Training and trial-and-error?” Jack asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  We can use the cargo ships to set up training on the moon when we get that far, and NASA engineers in conjunction with experienced miners should be able to get some prototype mining equipment up and running before the year is out.  Actually training personnel will take a little longer, but I think we could start extracting naquadah ore within two years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond frowned.  “Is this really any more efficient than what we’re getting from our offworld mines?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, not really, sir.  But it is another source of naquadah we didn’t have access to before, and one the Goa’uld can’t easily access.  Trying to attack our mining operation would constitute an attack on Earth, so the Asgard come back in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we really have the technology to make a go of this?” Hammond asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so, sir.  Between NASA ingenuity and the tech some of our offworld allies have access to, I think we can come up with something.  Tok’ra tunnel crystals, for example, could make accessing the naquadah core much easier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“XCOM will certainly want a piece of this,” Zhang said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get your own asteroid,” O’Neill replied, not unkindly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure we can work out an appropriate division of resources,” Hammond replied.  “Note that a lot of the projects we’d put this naquadah toward would benefit XCOM, as well, like the X-302 and 303 projects.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite so,” Zhang said.  “But I’m thinking more about power cells for our laser weapons, as well as the plasma weapons and powered armor designs Doctors Shen and Vahlen are working towards.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s still a bit premature,” Carter said.  “We need to know if we can even successfully mine this asteroid first.  I think it’ll work, but we need to know for sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what are you asking for, Major?” Hammond asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right now, authorization to dispatch the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> to move the asteroid through hyperspace outside the Solar System, and then to decelerate it into a stable orbit.  Now, the asteroid is fourteen days from hitting Earth, but the longer we wait, the greater the chance someone will spot it.  It’s actually blind luck that </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> caught it before some amateur astronomer did.  Once the asteroid is moved, it’ll take twelve days for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> to get it settled past the orbit of Neptune.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which is twelve days of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> not being on-station to help defend Earth,” Hammond noted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.  Now, if the plan isn’t approved, we can always have </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> just hyperspace the asteroid onto a trajectory that will bypass the Solar System completely, but we’ll have lost this resource permanently.  But if it is approved, once the asteroid is in a stable orbit, we can start working on plans to begin mining operations.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond nodded thoughtfully.  “I’ll have to take this up with the President,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have to bring it to the Commander as well,” Zhang replied.  “And he’ll likely bring it before the Council.  But I believe, Major Carter, if the US Government doesn’t approve your plan, XCOM and the Council will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> is a United States Air Force asset, Colonel,” Hammond reminded Zhan gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang smiled.  “Of course.  But I believe this is one of those times I warned you about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment, Hammond smiled and nodded.  “So it would seem, Colonel.  Very well, consider your foot down.  But I’ll need authorization from the US President to dispatch </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> on a mission like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you do not get it, General, then I am certain I will.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>In two hours, Major Carter’s plan had been approved, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> took the asteroid through hyperspace, and began the tricky maneuver of bringing it to a relative stop close enough to Neptune to be occluded by it, but far enough out to prevent the planet from attaining an inexplicable gravitational “wobble” detectable by Earth-based observation equipment.  A group of NASA engineers, aided by a Tok’ra scientist and a small deep-sea mining crew, began brainstorming ways to safely begin mining the asteroid.  Engineers at the SGC, XCOM, and Area 51 began salivating at the thought of having access to billions of tons of naquadah, and how that much material would boost their existing research and development programs.  The orbital foundry </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> had helped construct, completed but not yet operational, was being prepared to construct an add-on for refining the naquadah ore cargo ships would be bringing back within 24 months.  And, aside from those invested in the various projects, no one on Earth was at all the wiser.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With one exception.  In a concealed headquarters, the leaders of the group known as EXALT looked at the new material their opponents would soon have access to, and were not pleased.  Not pleased at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something would need to be done about both XCOM and the SGC.  And it would need to be done quickly.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, here’s episode 5.17 “Fail Safe”.  The episode was basically one long exercise in problem solving, in the vein of “The Martian”, so I tried to keep that feeling here, just with a completely different set of problems.  Hopefully it was as entertaining.</p><p>I love science, but I don’t speak its language, that language being math.  So I really have no idea how to even start going about figuring out a proper amount of naquadah to be in this asteroid.  But I figured 5 billion tons was a good conservative estimate, and it might well be more.  But really, the exact amount is irrelevant, the point is that, between the asteroid and the offworld mines, Earth has more than enough naquadah to do everything I need them to do for the rest of the story.  Huzzah!</p><p>Now, there’s a few All There In The Manual references to XCOM satellites being the only thing that can detect the Ethereals’ ships, since they have some kind of gravity sensor that, presumably, detects the “emissions” from the gravity drives.  Installing those on the Avenger made sense (since Goa’uld ships, by and large, cannot detect even their own cloaking devices, and I imagine the Etherals are using a similar system on their ships), and I referenced it a few chapters ago.  Combined with the ship’s other sensors, it seemed highly plausible to me that the Avenger would not only be able to detect the asteroid earlier, but also get a fair idea of its composition right away, especially if Hebron was diligent in figuring out why the readings were “wonky.”  So they have more time, more resources, and more information to come up with a plan to deal with the thing.</p><p>And since they’re all still trying to keep things hush-hush, the sudden appearance of a new asteroid in the sky would not help, so part of Carter’s plan is to hide it at the edges of the Solar System (where we’re still picking up new objects as our observation equipment improves).  I think they keep the Avenger and orbital foundry hidden by keeping them on the sunny side, so they can’t be seen.  Or maybe the foundry’s on the dark side of the moon.  Look, we already established I can’t do the math, what do you want from me?</p><p>I debated a lot on if this episode was actually going to happen in this story.  For starters, since Anubis didn’t reveal himself to the System Lords in Summit/Last Stand, he made no deal to destroy Earth in exchange for re-admittance to the Council of System Lords.  For another, with Apophis and his massive fleet to deal with, I wasn’t sure Anubis would waste the resources to make a naquadah asteroid and shoot it at Earth.  Then I realized that nothing ever said the asteroid was artificial, just that it had a naquadah core and naquadah doesn’t exist in the Solar System.  So if it’s a natural asteroid, then Anubis would have had fewer problems with shooting it at Earth, basically, for shits and giggles.  After all, if it works, it's one less enemy for him to worry about, and if it doesn’t, he’s no worse off.  He didn’t necessarily think the Tau’ri had the ability to start mining it, but even then, asteroid mining is far enough off I don’t see it really being a game-changer for at least another season or so, by which time Anubis probably thinks he’ll be the Supreme Galactic Overlord Grand High Poobah, so it still doesn’t actually cost him anything (in his mind).  Besides, giving Earth several billion tons of naqudah is just cool.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Teeth-Jarring Teamwork</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alliterative alliance advances alphabetically.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Cal Mah</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Free Jaffa World</b>
</p><p>
  <b>April, 20002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The deep, warbling screech of ha’tak cannons firing through atmosphere sounded again as Kelly stood next to the active Stargate, covering the fleeing Jaffa with her Scatter Laser.  Not that the weapon would do any good, she reflected, since the mothership was all the way in orbit and well out of range, even if her laser had the power to do more than scratch the paint.  Still, she felt better doing something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Jaffa fled through the ‘Gate from Yu’s attacking mothership, some carrying their regular Staff Weapons, some the L3 lasers SG-1 had brought with them, but most carrying only what they could grab from the settlement before the bombardment had grown too heavy.  Many had nothing but the clothes on their back, and those were almost universally in sorry state.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly winced as Teal’c, beaten and bloodied, leaned heavily against Master Bra’tac as they went through the ‘Gate.  Teal’c had looked better after taking Cyberdisc fire during the attack on XCOM’s HQ than he did now.  But K’Tano, or rather Imhotep, was dead, and the Jaffa were now truly free, even if their first act as a free people was fleeing in fear of their lives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the last of the long line of Jaffa made it through the Stargate, and Kelly joined them, followed by O’Neill and Carter.  One trip through the bright, screaming tunnel of the wormhole, and if Kelly hadn’t known better, she’d swear they hadn’t gone anywhere at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The planet the SGC had chosen for the Alpha Site was almost identical in climate, terrain, and vegetation as the planet Imhotep had chosen to build his fake Jaffa rebellion, and quite similar to many other worlds Kelly had visited.  She’d asked the other members of the team about it once.  Carter had given her some explanation long on equations and short on English, Daniel had spun some wild theory about terraforming and Earth-like plants and animals spread in the same manner as humans, O’Neill had shrugged and said something about magic or magnets, and Teal’c had just raised an eyebrow and replied “I do not know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The SGC guards currently stationed at the Alpha Site had their guns trained on the arriving Jaffa, even though Daniel had gone through first to alert them.  The Jaffa were milling about, many looking uncomfortably at the laser and ballistic weapons pointed at them, and nervously fingering their own guns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s all right, stand down,” O’Neill said as he arrived, the ‘Gate shutting down shortly afterward.  “These are friendlies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you say so, sir,” Major Wallace said, motioning his troops to stand down.  “What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Long story, Major,” O’Neill replied.  “The gist of it is, we’re going to have some guests for a while, Jaffa who don’t want to work for the Goa’uld anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We appreciate your assistance, Colonel O’Neill,” Bra’tac said, helping Teal’c seat himself on a nearby supply crate.  “But we must find a suitable world or our own soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll talk to Hammond,” O’Neill replied.  “I’m sure he won’t have a problem with you guys staying as long as you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is not that,” Bra’tac said, stepping closer to O’Neill.  “These Jaffa are free, and wish to remain free.  Feeling they are in the debt of the Tau’ri for the very roofs over their heads would be a wound their pride cannot easily bear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded.  “Alright, I see your point.  We’ll see what we can find.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about the Tok’ra?” Daniel asked.  “They have a new base that’s completely off the normal Stargate network.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How is this possible?” Bra’tac asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We helped them move the ‘Gate from their previous base to a new world that’s never had a ‘Gate on it,” Daniel replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac nodded.  “It would provide security, but I fear the Jaffa would rather remain here than go live with the Tok’ra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why’s that?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To many Jaffa, the Tok’ra are not significantly different from the Goa’uld.  They call themselves a different name, but they are the same creature.  Convincing the Jaffa to throw off the yoke of Goa’uld oppression was difficult in itself, and one can accept only so much change so quickly.  Asking them to accept the Tok’ra as benevolent where the Goa’uld are not would require more time than we have to spare.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill shook his head.  “Hey, I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a big fan of the Tok’ra myself.  But we’re all on the same side here, we should be working together, all of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the Tok’ra have little love for the Jaffa,” Bra’tac continued.  “Consider, that for the last two thousand years, every time a Tok’ra died at the end of a Staff Weapon, a Jaffa was holding it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill paused.  “Well, that’s a fair point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still, we should get you two talking,” Daniel said.  “Teal’c is known and respected among the Tok’ra, and he’s just apparently become the </span>
  <em>
    <span>de facto</span>
  </em>
  <span> leader of this Jaffa Rebellion, so we should be able to work something out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps.  Still, I believe the Jaffa will wish for their own homeworld.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get right on that,” O’Neill promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And of course, we’ll be happy to help you get started with whatever you need,” Daniel added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Daniel Jackson,” Bra’tac replied.  “And we will take you up on your generous offer.  But there is one need I fear even the Tau’ri cannot help us with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Within a year, several of these Jaffa will need new symbiotes, and those numbers will increase.  We will have to discover a means of procuring them ourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Daniel said, characteristically uncomfortable with the subject.  “Yeah, I’m not sure we can help with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly frowned.  “Sure we can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can?” Daniel and O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That first planet you guys took me to?” Kelly continued.  “Where we tracked Doctor Jackson and the big-ass Unas that was holding him captive, and then Teal’c tied us all to trees?  You can’t have forgotten that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel got that look on his face, the look he got when he’d been between the eyes with a metaphorical two-by-four.  “Of course.  The original Goa’uld homeworld.  The rivers there are teeming with them!  God, I am an idiot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac looked between the various members of SG-1.  “The Cradle of the Gods?  You have found it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have,” Teal’c croaked, limping over to them.  Already, his own symbiote was healing his wounds.  “I had forgotten.  There are indeed many Goa’uld living wild in its waterways, though their blood carries no naquadah, so we are unable to sense them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then one of our problems may be solved,” Bra’tac replied solemnly.  “Colonel O’Neill, if you would give us the address to the Cradle of the Gods, then we could procure our own symbiotes to sustain us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would also give us something to offer the Tok’ra,” Teal’c said, smiling through the blood caking his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How so?” Daniel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Before she perished at Tanith’s hand, Shaun’auc taught me the method she used to commune with her symbiote.  I have done this, and I can teach the technique to other Jaffa.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, because that worked out </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> well last time,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter shook her head.  “It didn’t work with Tanith because he had generations of Goa’uld genetic memory weighing him down,” she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An aboriginal Goa’uld from P3X-888 wouldn’t have that,” Daniel said.  “It would be a blank slate, and the Jaffa could start teaching them Tok’ra values instead of Goa’uld ones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Blank slate, huh?” Jack asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel shrugged.  “Well, in theory.  I mean, we know that at some point the Tok’ra broke away from the Goa’uld, so there must have been a point in their history, before cumulative sarcophagus exposure and genetic memory turned them all evil, where some of them decided to assume a different moral outlook.  So it stands to reason that the original Goa’uld aren’t born bad the way modern ones are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is a hope the Tok’ra have not had for thousands of years, if the legends are true,” Teal’c said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” O’Neill said slowly.  “And what happens when all these good little snakes mature and need new hosts?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That will be a bridge for the Tok’ra to cross when they come to it,” Bra’tac replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, that cliché really doesn’t always work,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s a good idea,” Daniel said.  “The Jaffa supply the possibility of new Tok’ra symbiotes, the Tok’ra find a way to guarantee a supply of new, willing hosts.  It’s a great foundation for an alliance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the Tok’ra will have several years to work on the problem, as the new symbiotes will require time to mature,” Teal’c said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded.  “Alright.  Let’s get in touch with our good buddies and give them the wonderful news.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac nodded.  “Indeed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kelly reflected that Bra’tac still had a lot to learn about the concept of sarcasm.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“It is certainly an interesting proposition,” Malek replied, strolling through the Alpha Site with Daniel Jackson and Colonel O’Neill.  “The Tok’ra have had no means to increase our numbers for quite some time.  I am, however, concerned that we would be relying solely on the teachings of Jaffa to bring these new symbiotes into the Tok’ra fold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s where the whole ‘diplomacy’ thing comes in,” Jack said.  “You guys and the Jaffa need to really sit down and talk with each other to make this work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that would seem to be the main problem,” Malek said, noting a few Jaffa who were glaring at him.  “I cannot say the idea of sitting down and discussing matters such as this with Jaffa is a prospect I find pleasant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Diplomacy, Malek,” Daniel repeated.  “We’re all on the same side, and we all have pieces that can help us bring down the Goa’uld.  But we won’t get anywhere unless we work together.  None of us can do this alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek was silent a moment before nodding.  “Perhaps.  The current state of the System Lords leaves us little opening to continue our long-term plan, though I feel I should point out that this status is largely your doing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, for crying out loud!” Jack exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel cut him off.  “Malek, if I can be blunt for a moment, yes, we’ve made some mistakes, and some of what we’ve done have made things worse, not better.  But that’s exactly why I’m saying we all need to work together.  If we’re not working together, sharing information, and united in a common goal with a common way of achieving it, then we’ll just keep tripping over each other.  The Tok’ra have always said that a bunch of feuding System Lords was preferable to one all-powerful Goa’uld controlling everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which is the exact situation we are dealing with now,” Malek pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Daniel replied.  “But let’s put the shoe on the other foot for a moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How will changing footwear help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel closed his eyes in frustration and waved his hands.  “Figure of speech.  Let’s reverse the perspective.  If, from our point of view, it’s better to have the System Lords fighting each other than us, because they’re wasting strength they could use to wipe us out, then from the perspective of the System Lords, isn’t it better to have Earth, the Tok’ra, and the Jaffa all working at cross-purposes to each other, unknowingly and unwittingly sabotaging each others’ efforts, then it is to have us allied and working together with all our resources towards their downfall?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek nodded.  “Well said, and logical to a point.  The fact remains, however, that it will be difficult to accept these Jaffa as true allies, given all their past actions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why, you selfish snake—” Jack began.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jack, please,” Daniel interrupted.  “Look, Malek, I’d be lying if I said the Jaffa were totally on board with this.  They’re not the biggest fans of the Tok’ra, either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Malek asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel hesitated.  “Do you really want me to answer that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”  Daniel took a breath.  “While I respect that the Tok’ra have a completely different outlook from the Goa’uld, and that your methods and culture are completely different, you are similar in many respects.  I know that’s something you don’t like to hear,” Daniel cut off Malek’s reflexive denial, “but you are, in fact, the same species, and even if you use your gifts and abilities in a different way, and value the freedom of your hosts and the other people of the galaxy, you still display a lot of the same superior, borderline arrogant attitude that the Goa’uld do, even if you don’t carry it to the point of considering yourselves gods.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek bristled, but took a deep breath and thought through Daniel’s words with both his brains.  “Perhaps you have a point,” he conceded finally.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Perhaps?</span>
  </em>
  <span> his host said silently.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m shocked there’s room enough for both of us in here sometimes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not now,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Malek replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alliances are built on trust,” Daniel continued.  “Trust and mutual respect.  Now, I recognize that those are both in short supply between the Tok’ra and the Jaffa right now.  But, if the Tok’ra can set aside their arrogance and the Jaffa can set aside their aggression long enough to actually talk about these things, then I think we have a real shot at making this work.  All three of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek nodded.  “I will bring your proposal to the Council,” he said.  “I believe they will agree to move forward with at least preliminary negotiations.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here’s something else you can bring to the Council,” O’Neill said.  “Think about how often your people go into a Goa’uld’s turf, alone, with no backup in case anything goes wrong, and how hard it is to get those operatives out again.  Now think about how that situation might change if they go in with a Jaffa or two to watch their backs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or the benefit of having Free Jaffa already within the ranks of a Goa’uld they’re trying to infiltrate,” Daniel added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek nodded again.  “Intriguing.  I shall bring it before the Council as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were heading back towards the Stargate now, as Teal’c emerged from the infirmary, still limping heavily, but clearly on the mend.  As he approached, he bowed before Malek.  “I wished to see you before you left this world,” Teal’c said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Teal’c of Chulak,” Malek said, nodding stiffly.  “You are known among the Tok’ra.  I am Malek.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tek ma te,” Teal’c said, extending his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment’s hesitation, rife with tension, Malek took it, and the two clasped arms as warriors before a large crowd of watching Jaffa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Tok’ra are brave warriors in the fight against the Goa’uld,” Teal’c said, just loudly enough for his voice to carry among the observers.  “I would be honored to count them as allies to all Jaffa who consider themselves free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Malek replied uncertainly, knowing where Teal’c was going with this and uncomfortable at having been put on the spot.  “My people will. . . certainly be interested to learn of your proposal.  I will. . . do my best to relate the wisdom of it to them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should the efforts of Free Jaffa, Tau’ri, and Tok’ra align, the Goa’uld face an enemy the likes of which they have never before witnessed,” Teal’c stated, releasing Malek’s arm.  “Go in peace, and give the Tok’ra my regards.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will,” Malek replied.  Looking around at the assembled Jaffa, he nodded awkwardly, before making for the Stargate as quickly as dignity would allow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well played,” Jack said, lightly clapping Teal’c’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac stepped forward and smiled at Teal’c.  “When they write the story of the downfall of the System Lords, they will say it began this day,” he declared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They will say it was sealed this day,” Teal’c countered.  “They will say it began the day the Tau’ri came to Abydos.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Told you I had plans for the Tok’ra.  Didn’t see that one coming, did you?</p><p>This happens on the tail end of episode 5.18 “The Warrior”.  It never sat well with me how, even though P3X-888 and its aboriginal Unas were revisited a few times, they always forgot about the aboriginal Goa’uld living there, as well, which would have solved a few problems later on in the show.  Here, we see one of those problems getting solved.  Well, actually two.  One being the Jaffa need for larval symbiotes, and the other the lack of new Tok’ra symbiotes.  Shaun’auc taught Teal’c the particularly deep state of kel’no’reem she used to commune with her symbiote, and Teal’c tried it a few times in that episode, then never again after Tanith murdered Shaun’auc.  My guess is that, having seen that Tanith was still Goa’uld heart and soul, Teal’c never tried again, considering it impossible to overcome the evil of a Goa’uld.  But the aboriginal Goa’uld don’t have all that baggage, and while they certainly aren’t nice, there’s no evidence they’re actively evil.  So the Jaffa communicating with them using Shaun’auc’s trick should be able to teach them the Tok’ra way of doing things, thus giving the Tok’ra new symbiotes for the first time since Ra put Egeria in a can.  As for getting hosts for these symbiotes, as Bra’tac noted, that’s the Tok’ra’s problem, but I have some ideas.</p><p>Malek was the Tok’ra involved in a few Season 6 episodes, so I dropped him in here to hear the Jaffa’s proposal for an alliance.  Bra’tac and Hebron seemed to have made some strides reconciling, so Bra’tac has a bit more sympathy for the Tok’ra point of view than most Jaffa at this point.  And while Teal’c isn’t quite the charismatic leader K’Tano/Imhotep was, he does know the value of making a point.  His interaction with Malek at the end was to not only get the Jaffa to start seeing the Tok’ra as allies, while the Jaffa are still flush with Teal’c’s victory and being delivered from Yu’s attack, but also to place the Free Jaffa on even footing with Tok’ra and Tau’ri, to show that Teal’c won’t be letting his people get under anyone’s thumb.  He’s seeking partners, not masters.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Operation Cassandra's Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Janet, Vahlen, Anise, and Nirrti don't really get along.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>SGC Infirmary</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado</b>
</p><p>
  <b>April, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care,” Janet said vehemently.  “I am not letting you put anything in my daughter’s brain!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dr. Vahlen sighed.  “Dr. Frasier – Janet – please, hear me out—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!  Cassie barely survived last time, I’m not going to make her go through that again!  And I’m not going to let you turn her into some kind of guinea pig in your quest for better weapons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not about that, Dr. Frasier,” Anise said calmly.  “Or, not merely about that.  While we do hope to unlock psionic powers in XCOM soldiers that will prove useful in the war against the invaders, the potential applications go much farther.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And have you considered what you’ll be letting out of this Pandora’s Box you’re dead-set on opening?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen nodded.  “At great length, Doctor.  Until now, all the modifications and alterations made to our soldiers are reversible. . . or, at least, recoverable.  With this, we may be fundamentally altering the nature of humanity itself.  Who we are as a species is going to change because of this.  Trust me, this is not a step I take lightly, but I believe both the ability to fight the aliens on equal footing, and the positive benefits of this power, are worth exploring.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have no sense of fear at all, do you?” Janet asked pointedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen shrugged.  “Not really, no.  I have always been more curious than cautious, and that has served me well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you’re going to do this anyway, you’re doing it without Cassandra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The procedure doesn’t involve brain implants, Doctor Frasier,” Anise said.  “Using Doctor Vahlen’s research and examinations of the invaders’ own cybernetics, we’ve created a device that will accomplish the same neural interface and augmentation using devices based on the memory recall device.  It is removable with no harm to the volunteer, and the effects are, according to our preliminary studies, completely temporary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet narrowed her eyes, suspicious and, entirely against her better judgement, intrigued.  “That’s quite a leap,” she said, keeping hostility in her voice.  “How did you manage it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nirrti was of great assistance,” Anise replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so you want me to put my daughter back under the knife of a Goa’uld who’s already tried to kill her twice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nirrti will not be involved with the procedure at all,” Vahlen assured her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And technically, only the first attempt on Cassandra’s life was deliberate.  The Mindfire was part of a long-ranging experiment that Nirrti had no way of knowing Cassandra was part of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s supposed to make it better?” Janet asked incredulously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was significantly less malicious than attempting to blow up Earth with a naquadah-potassium bomb,” Anise replied matter-of-factly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet threw her hands up in the air.  “I am done arguing about this.  You’re not getting Cassandra, and that’s final.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think they respect your ‘Mom tone’ the way I do,” Cassandra replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet whirled, seeing Cassandra standing in the door of the infirmary.  “Cassie!  I told you to wait outside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could hear you anyway,” Cassie replied.  “Mom, what if I told you I wanted to try?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d say you’re out of your mind, young lady.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom, Nirrti killed everyone I ever cared about as a kid.  She’s tried to kill everyone I’ve come to care about here.  And she’s just the start of it.  I’m sick of not being able to help, I’m sick of just staying here while everyone else goes and fights the Goa’uld and the invaders and everything else that’s out there.  I want to help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cassie, revenge isn’t going to help anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not about revenge, mom.  It’s about how many people have died, how many have risked their lives, because of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not about you, Cassie.  It’s about. . . it’s about protecting people, all people, everywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’m one of those people, Mom.  And I’m sick of being protected.  Just once, I want to be the one doing the protecting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet nodded slowly.  “I understand what you’re saying, but you’re still just sixteen years old.  You can’t join the military, and you certainly can’t volunteer for some cockamamie science experiment hatched by three mad scientist women with half an ethic between them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I resent that!” Vahlen cried, her face turning red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you do,” Janet shot back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Mom, I have to put on my alien hat here a sec.  On Hanka, the Mindfire was kind of a rite of passage.  Not everyone went through it, but if you did, you were chosen, and your future was yours.  On Hanka, I’d be considered a full-fledged adult, capable of making my own choices.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’re not on Hanka, sweetie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that, Mom.  But you’re smart enough to know that having an eighteenth birthday doesn’t magically make you a mature, responsible adult.  It’s something you earn, something you </span>
  <em>
    <span>learn</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  I learned from you, Mom.  Trust that you did a good job teaching me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet scowled.  “You’ve been borrowing my psychology textbooks again, haven’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie smiled.  “They’re a little less fun than your anatomy ones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet still had that look on her face, the look Cassie thought of as “Mom with a bone.”  When Janet Frasier got an idea in her head, the whole world had best bend to make it right, because Janet herself would not.  It was something Cassie found both admirable and infuriating, but Cassie had learned tenacity from her mother, too.  Doing her best to emulate the look, Cassie met her mother’s gaze.  “Please, Mom.  Let me do this.  Let me help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet sighed, and shook her head.  “Alright.  But Doctor Vahlen, I come with, I get to supervise everything you do, ask any question I want and have it answered, and if I don’t like those answers or if I feel Cassie is in any danger, we leave immediately.  Understood?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Doctor,” Vahlen replied.  “I had assumed that would be the case.  Shall we?”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> was still decelerating the naquadah asteroid, but Hebron had left behind a cargo ship to facilitate ring transport between the SGC and XCOM HQ.  Janet, Cassie, Anise, and Vahlen ringed up to the cargo ship, then back down to XCOM.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet had never been to XCOM’s base before, and she reflected that it wasn’t all that different from the SGC.  The SGC had better lighting, but XCOM had a certain rugged high-tech look to it that, Janet suspected, made it rather more efficient overall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, they reached the Psi Lab, only to find an unwelcome guest being escorted out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, Cassandra,” Nirrti said with a broad smile.  “So good to see you again.  How is my favorite human?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassandra scowled.  Her fist swung up, catching Nirrti just under the sternum, the air expelled from the System Lord’s lungs in a violent puff.  She hung there a moment, doubled over against Cassie’s fist, before Cassandra pulled back, and Nirrti fell to her knees, gasping in her rough, deep Goa’uld voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, thanks,” Cassie said sweetly.  “How are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti choked and coughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, I’m sorry to hear that.  I hope you feel better soon!”  Cassie walked around Nirrti as the once-powerful Goa’uld relearned how to breathe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was fun,” Cassie said as they entered the lab.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> have been hanging out with Colonel O’Neill too much,” Janet replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I learned that from Teal’c.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’ll have to have a little chat with him when we get back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve met some of the boys at school, Mom.  You should give him a thank-you note.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen hurried into the room after them.  “I must apologize, Doctor Frasier.  I left strict instructions that Nirrti was to be returned to her cell immediately after I left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise followed Vahlen into the room, but didn’t say anything.  Rather, she began, quite methodically and thoroughly, inspecting every piece of equipment for potential sabotage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright, Doctor,” Janet replied.  “I think Cassie expressed all our feelings on the matter quite eloquently.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen couldn’t help but smile.  “She did at that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Half an hour later, they were ready.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, Cassandra,” Doctor Vahlen said, motioning Cassie to a tall chair.  “Please, be seated.”  As Cassie got as comfortable as she could, Vahlen picked up one of the small, blue, circular memory devices she and Anise had modified into psionic amplifiers.  “Now, you will feel a sting as I attach the device.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said this wouldn’t hurt,” Janet accused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said we wouldn’t do her any harm,” Vahlen countered.  “As a medical doctor, you should be quite familiar with the fact that many procedures, no matter how beneficial they may be, frequently involve some level of discomfort.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet screwed her mouth shut and scowled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen placed the device on Cassie’s temple, and the young woman winced in pain.  “Ouch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise took up a position on the other side of the room, working a console that was clearly a modified version of her old za’tarc detector.  “Cassandra, I will be monitoring the device and your brain wave activity from here.  I would like you to focus your attention on me and this device, and ignore everyone else.  Can you do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie nodded.  “Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well.  Give me a few moments to establish a baseline.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise worked the console, getting a broad measurement of Cassandra’s base brainwave activity and strength, and comparing it with both average human baseline and measurements taken from any number of XCOM personnel, noting already several intriguing differences.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, we’re ready to begin.  I’ll start at ten percent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ten percent of what?” Janet asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen answered.  “The device is capable of amplifying human neural activity, specifically the kind we’ve come to associate with psionic power.  To determine if Cassandra has such capability, and if so how strong her talent might be, we will begin with a low-level stimulation of those neural patterns.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’ve done this before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have tested several XCOM personnel in a similar manner,” Anise replied.  “So far, our results have been unencouraging.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still think your dress is throwing off our results,” Vahlen stated, looking Anise up and down in the scant red leather outfit she was wearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we should receive better results here, since Cassandra is unlikely to be so distracted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know about that,” Cassie said innocently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cassandra!” Janet cried, and Cassie laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, focus on me and the device,” Anise said.  “Activating at ten percent.”  The device made a small, whining whirr.  “Now, Cassandra, I’m going to think of a number—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ten.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise blinked.  “Eight.  But close.  Now, I’m going to—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eleven.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Twelve.  Now, I’m—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One-hundred-thirty-four.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise looked at the monitor on her console, then to Cassie, then back.  “Correct.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Five.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Correct again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eggplant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Also correct.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Knick-knack Tel’tac give an Unas a bone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise blinked again.  “Correct.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen gave Anise a questioning look.  “Seriously?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise gave her a level gaze.  “Would </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> have guessed that’s what I was thinking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen nodded.  “Fair enough.  What’s the reading look like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Remarkable,” Anise replied.  “It took her a bit to synch in, but her brainwave patterns began to match mine, as we suspected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you're still at only ten percent?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.  Cassandra, can you tell me what I’m thinking right now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie frowned, and stared intently at Anise for a moment.  “No, nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise nodded.  “As I suspected.  Before, I was actively ‘broadcasting’ my thoughts at you.  Now, I am attempting to keep them to myself.  If you are willing, I’d like to go up to twenty-five percent, and see if you can penetrate my block.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie nodded.  “Bring it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure this is safe?” Janet asked, concerned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve taken subjects up to fifty percent before, and had no ill effects,” Vahlen replied.  “But then, we’ve never had results this promising before.  Rest assured, Doctor, at the slightest sign of anything going wrong, I will shut everything down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s reassuring,” Janet said, not entirely convinced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise touched some controls on the console.  “Increasing to twenty-five percent.  Try and tell what I’m thinking, Cassandra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassandra squinted, and Anise stood before her, impassive.  Nothing seemed to happen, until suddenly Cassandra blushed deeply.  “Oh, oh my God, I’m sorry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise shook her head.  “It’s quite alright.  That was a most promising result.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that wasn’t. . . I mean, you were—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can rely on your discretion, I presume?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, totally!  Of course!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then no harm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you two talking about?” Janet asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cassandra bypassed my surface thoughts and plucked something from deeper within the memories of me and my host.  An exceptional result.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did she see?” Janet asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” Anise replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me rephrase:  </span>
  <em>
    <span>what did you put in my daughter’s head?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise stared at Janet.  “Nothing which should concern you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two women stared at each other for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom,” Cassie said.  “It’s alright, really.  It’s. . . it’s not a problem.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet blew out a breath.  “Alright.  But I think you two need to back off until you get this figured out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anise looked back at the console.  “The data is very interesting.  If we were to try again, to have more readings to analyze—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we’re good for now,” Vahlen interrupted, not really wanting to see the kind of damage Janet Frasier could do if she put her mind to it.  “We may want to see Cassandra again, once we have a firmer grasp on what all this actually means.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll think about it,” Janet said threateningly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They shut down their testing rig and removed the device from Cassie’s temple, and Janet inspected the small ring it had left behind.  As they left the Psi Lab to return to the Ring Room, Cassie looked at her mother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you’re not keen on this, Mom.  But if they want me back, I want to come.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have the slightest idea what you’re getting into?” Janet asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More of one than you do.  You weren’t there, Mom.  You don’t know what it’s like, doing what I’ve done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that what this is about?  You just want to have special powers again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.  Well, not exactly.  I’d love to go all Phoenix Force on the Goa’uld—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea what that means.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“—But it’s not about me, not entirely.  You said it yourself, I’m still just a sixteen-year-old girl to them.  They won’t let me go out and fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s a good thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I can help.  And I want to help, Mom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Janet pursed her lips, and was very quiet all the way back to the SGC.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“This is fascinating,” Nirrti said, looking over the data Vahlen and Anise had obtained from Cassandra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It appears you were rather closer to your goal than you thought,” Vahlen replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti snorted.  “This?  This is child’s play.  A mere stepping stone toward what I was truly aiming for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what was that?” Anise asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look at this, you see application.  Psychic powers, telekinesis, reading minds.  I see a bridge to something far greater.  I see the beginnings of power, </span>
  <em>
    <span>true</span>
  </em>
  <span> power.  Not the technological parlor tricks that let us pretend to be gods, or these tricks of the mind that accomplish the same end.  I see a path to apotheosis, to the ability to actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>become</span>
  </em>
  <span> a god, in fact, not just in name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really are insane,” Vahlen said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti smiled.  “Am I?  Where does this power come from?  What creates the energy that Cassandra’s brain exerts?  It doesn’t come from the biological processes in her body.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The device we created to stimulate her brain function,” Anise replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nirrti shot Anise a condescending look.  “Oh, of course.  A bold piece of improvisation, but you and I both know the device does not have the energy to accomplish what Cassandra did, what you hope to do.  So where does it come from?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen shrugged.  “I suppose you, in your infinite godly wisdom, know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do not.  But it must come from somewhere.  And if the human mind and body can be pushed far enough into that place, who knows what might await us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not human,” Vahlen reminded her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.  But I can come along for the ride.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, I wanted to get into what XCOM is doing with their Psionic research.  Yeah, Cassie’s a very promising talent here, too.  There’s a reason for that.</p><p>Playing up Janet’s Mama Bear aspect, especially when she’s at odds with Vahlen and Anise, was very amusing.  And of course, Cassie is a rebellious teen, but she’s also not an Earth human girl.  She’s got a different perspective, and I tried to bring that out with her.  She’s also very much her mother’s daughter, so I tried to bring that out, too.</p><p>Mind-reading was never something you could actually do in EU, but it seemed to make sense as a preliminary test for psychic potential.  You can handwave it away that there wasn’t much practical application for sensing thoughts on the XCOM battlefield, especially with the aliens probably thinking in some kind of bizarre hodgepodge of languages, so the ability was never represented in-game, even though it was present.  And having Cassie tumble over something in Anise/Freya’s memory was very amusing to me.  And before you ask, no, I don’t know what it was.  All I know is that Cassie recognized it as something Anise/Freya would very much rather have kept to herselves.</p><p>And this is why Nirrti is still in the story.  I told you she’d have a rather different perspective on some things, and I got the opportunity to bring that out a bit here, give her a bit of a Motive Rant.  Turns out, she had bigger plans for a hok’tar than some basic Jedi tricks.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Operation DamBusters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which XCOM takes in the lovely scenery of France.  Massive destruction ensues.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Roselend Dam</b>
</p><p>
  <b>South-Eastern France</b>
</p><p>
  <b>April, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suzie “Psycho” Connor gunned her craft’s engine toward the target on her radar.  Even after hours of simulator training, she thought the cockpit was a little odd, even if everything in it was very intuitive.  Watching the distance scroll down on her HUD, she thumbed her radio.  “Thunderbolt-6, approaching weapons range.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The UFO jinked to one side, rotating to bring its weapons to bear.  As she hit the enemy ship’s maximum range, she twirled the controls to send her craft into a flat spin, normally the worst possible thing that could happen to an aircraft.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the Firestorm was like no other aircraft ever designed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Skidding through the sky to her target’s right, Psycho left the arc of her opponent’s weapons as plasma blasts streaked through the sky she’d recently vacated.  Halting her rotation, she brought her target into the sights of her own weapons, watching the range tick down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Entering range, firing.”  Psycho pulled the trigger, twin bolts of light shooting out from her ship’s pronged tips.  They scored deep into the UFO’s alloy skin, a secondary explosion let her know she’d hit something.  The ship rotated midair, still traveling on its original course, to try and return fire, but Psycho kept the Firestorm just out of the arc.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One eye on the heat gauge for her lasers, Psycho cursed softly as she saw the telltale pulsing glow of a gravity lift effect from her target.  The cooldown cycle felt ridiculously slow; the gauge went from red, to yellow, finally to cool blue, and Psycho fired again.  The lasers mounted on the Firestorm were quite powerful, but pumped out insane amounts of heat, requiring a long cooling cycle or else they risked damaging the weapons or the craft itself.  The Fusion Lance reverse engineered from the alien Battleship by the Tollans was only now entering production, and none of the limited number of Firestorms had yet been equipped with the awesome weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her lasers again bit deep, and a larger explosion, combined with a sudden dip in the UFO’s altitude, showed she’d claimed one of the midsize UFO’s Elerium reactor cores.  The ship struggled to limp along on half the power it had been designed for, and Psycho caught another grav lift pulse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goddamn you,” she swore, slapping the weapons override and firing again.  Alarms screeched in the cockpit as the laser reached unacceptably high heat levels. The beams stuttered a bit, but she caught the alien ship again, burning deep into the gashes she’d already made in its hull.  With all the aerodynamics God gave the average brick, the UFO dropped out of the sky, its engine apparently damaged or destroyed.  A third pulse strobed as the craft barreled towards the canyon beneath the dam, where it was dashed to pieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Big Sky, Thunderbolt-6,” Psycho said into her radio.  “Skies are clear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy that, Thunderbolt-6,” Big Sky replied.  “Proceeding to the target zone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be advised, Screamer flashed three times confirmed,” Psycho added, using XCOM’s radio shorthand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy,” Big Sky repeated.  “Strike One is preparing to give our guests a warm welcome.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thunderbolt-6, Central,” Bradford cut in.  “Stay on station in case any more bogeys pop up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy, Central,” Psycho replied.  “Thunderbolt-6 is hovering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Psycho brought the Firestorm to a stationary hover over the dam, high enough she’d be out of range of any ground weapons.  The Firestorm could almost certainly handle anything the ground troops could throw at it, but she wanted to be cautious with her excessively expensive new toy.  Plus, if she got too low, she’d be tempted to help Strike One with air support, and the aliens had already finished one attack run on the dam before Psycho had given them something else to worry about.  It didn’t look like the dam could survive much more, even from her comparatively dinky laser cannons.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The Skyranger set down gently on the broken surface of the dam, the door opened, and Delta 2 led his team out onto the cracked and shattered asphalt.  As Strike One took up cover positions near the Skyranger, Central informed them that the dam was in danger of collapsing from the damage the X-Rays had inflicted on it.  However, the emergency release valves could help buy some time for Strike One to finish their mission.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fastlane, get high,” Torres said, pointing to a nearby tower, which luckily housed one of the valves.  “Keep us covered.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy,” Fastlane replied, sprinting for the structure.  Eschewing the ladder, Fastlane leapt to the top in a single MELD-enhanced bound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Smokes, ahead and left, hit that valve.  Freestyle, cover her.”  As they moved out, Delta 2 motioned at his MEC troopers, Striker and Eureka.  “We go up the middle.  Draw fire and waste any X-Ray that shows his face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do we have to wait for their face?” Eureka asked, her soft Australian accent muddled by the voice synthesizer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any part you see is good enough for me,” Delta 2 replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Delta 2’s team pushed down the road, Smokes frantically spun her valve, even as Freestyle swept her Scatter Laser across the area. Atop the tower, Fastlane kept his Laser Sniper Rifle steady on a half-height wall, keeping an eye out for enemies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Incoming,” he whispered into the radio, even as he began lining up a shot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A second later, three Mutons appeared from behind an overturned truck, their slow, ponderous walk turning into a thundering run as they spotted the XCOM troops in return.  Striker, Eureka, and Delta 2 all fired, and while Striker took down his target, Delta 2’s Heavy Laser only wounded the tough alien, while Eureka missed completely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even as the uninjured Muton charged forward, Fastlane adjusted his aim and put a shot through its eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The surviving Muton’s return fire wasn’t significantly more accurate than XCOM’s, though one blast clipped Freestyle as she ducked further behind the low concrete wall she’d chosen as cover. Her armor took the hit, but it was badly charred and dangerously compromised.  Taking advantage of a pause in the Muton’s fire, she darted forward and blasted it in the face, killing it outright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never thought I’d say this,” Smokes said, moving up to verify Freestyle was unhurt.  “But I miss Sectoids.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t we all,” Torres replied.  “Keep moving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You had to jinx us,” Striker said, stomping past an overturned semi-truck and spotting two of the small, greyish aliens flanking a much larger Mechtoid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Sectoids scurried for the deepest cover they could find, linking their minds with their cybernetic comrade, activating a powerful shield of psionic force around the unit.  Fastlane almost immediately brought one down with another headshot, and the Mechtoid reeled as some of its delicate components were short-circuited by the psionic feedback.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smokes fired at the remaining Sectoid, barely missing as it ducked further back behind a tall shipping crate.  Freestyle fired her Scatter Laser again, missing the Sectoid but demolishing its cover, and Eureka finished it with a shot from her massive railgun that all but erased the tiny X-Ray from existence.  Delta 2 and Striker focused on the sparking and sputtering Mechtoid, and while their hits barely breached its thick armor, the components damaged by the feedback gave up the ghost in the face of coherent light and magnetically-propelled impact.  With a final shriek from its doomed pilot, the machine keeled over, reduced to smoldering scrap and a twitching corpse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moving from cover to cover, Strike One leapfrogged forward.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Movement,” Fastlane whispered, spotting and tracking the enemy with his sniper scope.  “Thin Men, one—make that two pods, three each.  Coming towards you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite their fragility and their lower power weaponry, Thin Men were among the most dangerous X-Rays thus far encountered.  Their Light Plasma Rifles were terribly accurate, their slender frames gave them unprecedented mobility, and they could spit clouds of poison gas that could very quickly incapacitate or kill an XCOM trooper even in deep cover, making them surprisingly versatile.  Torres and his squad had recently come up with a new tactic for dealing with them, and this would be the first time they put it into practice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fastlane was well out of range of the Thin Men, but the other purely organic XCOM troops took the deepest, sturdiest cover they could find.  The two MECs were too bulky and inflexible to take cover, but they could get behind large obstacles and deny the Thin Men line-of-sight, which they did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Thin Men approached, spotting Smokes as she hunkered down behind the remains of a tall truck.  Leaping and sprinting through the wrecked traffic, the Thin Men fired on the XCOM troops, even though they had no clear shots.  For nearly a minute, the troopers weathered a storm of verdant plasma fire, keeping their heads down and their bodies as protected as they could.  Some tried spitting their venom at the troopers, the liquid evaporating into a gas quickly, but the cybersuits’ sealed systems protected Striker and Eureka, and the other operatives all had Doctor Shen’s respirator implants, rendering the poison impotent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, the Thin Men charged, abandoning their positions in search of better firing lines.  Anticipating this, Strike One fired as the Thin Men entered their fields of fire, dropping them one after another.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright!” Torres crowed as the last Thin Man exploded into a toxic cloud.  “That’s how you rope-a-dope!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dam shuddered beneath them, and Central called urgently over the radio.  “Get a move on, Strike One!  That dam can’t take much more.  Get to the target and get out of there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy,” Torres replied, and the squad broke for the remaining valves, and down the road towards their objective.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Psycho scowled as a new blip appeared on her radar.  “Cental, got another contact, moving in fast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We read it, Thunderbolt-6.  Intercept that bogey, don’t let it hit the dam!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy, Central.”  Psycho kicked her Firestorm to top speed, hurtling towards the incoming UFO.  Her scanner soon revealed it was a small hull, half the size of the “medium” one she’d splashed earlier.  As she neared weapons range, the UFO began jinking in an unpredictable pattern.  Struggling for a target lock, Psycho stabbed her fingers down on the firing trigger, sending twin beams of laser light out again, but she cleanly missed the target.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The UFO closed on the dam as Psycho waited for the heat gauge to drop.  On a whim, she slapped a toggle on her joystick, and positioned her thumb over the auxiliary trigger on the throttle in her left hand.  As soon as she got a partial lock, she hit both triggers, one after the other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of perfectly twinned beams, the Firestorm shot out one a split second before the other.  The first also missed, but the second burrowed into the side of the UFO, its erratic movements slowing as it began to spin.  Relinking the lasers, she waited for the cooldown, sweat popping out on her brow.  It was too close. . . </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stabbed the trigger again the instant the gauge hit cool, and as she did, she saw the glow under the UFO’s undercarriage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit!” she swore, not caring that her lasers had blown a hole clean through the enemy craft.  “Strike One, flash from a Whistler!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Delta 2’s response was almost drowned out by the sound of plasma cannon fire.  “Copy.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks for the heads up, moron</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Torres thought to himself as he ducked further back behind a chunk of concrete. A Mechtoid had opened up on him with both barrels the instant it landed, while another was busily pouring fire into Striker.  The armored cybersuit was deflecting most of the blows with minimal damage, but enough were hitting square that the armor was starting to warp and buckle, plates peeling back at the corners like old linoleum.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could use some help,” Striker said calmly, as two new Sectoids darted for cover.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On my way,” Eureka replied, charging to her partner’s rescue.  The Mechtoid shifted its aim to her, but the few blasts that managed to land before she closed the distance were superficial.  With careful timing, she fired her kinetic strike module, the fist connecting with the Mectoid’s chest with all the cybersuit’s speed and mass behind it, plus the extra momentum from the rocket-powered punch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The massive alien war machine crumpled like an aluminum can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fastlane hit the remaining Mechtoid high in the shoulder, spoiling the aim of one of its plasma cannons briefly.  Freestyle charged in, somehow unnoticed by the cybernetic alien battlesuit, and got right up under its gun-arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eat this,” she shouted, triggering her Scatter Laser.  The cone of laser fire hit what, on a human, would be right under the rib cage, instantly turning a whole swath of armor bright red as it struggled to absorb the massive amount of energy that had just been poured into it.  Freestyle turned her back on the Mechtoid and ducked as Smokes popped up, aimed for the red spot, and fired her laser rifle.  The beam punched through the near-molten alloy like a bullet through an orange, melting and igniting delicate components within.  Shards of liquid-hot metal splashed outwards, and the machine keeled over, its Sectoid pilot shrieking as the life support systems keeping it alive burned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres raised his head, verifying both alien machines were down, then ducked back as a plasma bolt from one of the Sectoid splashed against his cover.  Striker marched forward, armor tattered and scorched from repeated plasma fire, and almost casually burned down the Sectoid down with his flamethrower.  Torres heard more plasma fire from the last X-Ray streak past his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Screw this!” Torres gritted through clenched teeth.  Slinging his Heavy Laser, he reached for the collapsible rocket launcher on his back.  Shouldering it, he slipped out of his cover, knelt, and aimed at the last Sectoid.  Through the viewfinder, he had the satisfaction of seeing the X-Ray’s amber-black eyes grow really wide.  Dropping to all fours, it began scurrying madly away.  Torres pulled the trigger.  The rocket streaked away, detonating right on the aliens’ heels, the pressure wave and shrapnel tearing it to shreds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel Torres!” Vahlen exclaimed over the radio.  “You may want to exercise caution when using explosives.  While certainly effective at killing aliens, they also destroy the artifacts we hope to recover from the bodies.  Just something to consider.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy,” Torres replied.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Heartless sanctimonious bitch,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought to himself as he stowed the rocket launcher.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, they approached the back of the armored military truck that was their target.  Torres set the squad up in covering positions, then Smokes and Freestyle moved up to secure the vehicle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they approached, the truck suddenly rocked violently.  Freestyle held up her hand, alerting the squad to hold their positions.  Strike One waited.  The van remained motionless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Smokes reached for the door, which swung open as the dead body of an EXALT operative, alloy vest over dress shirt and slacks, and a face concealed by an orange-and-red bandanna, fell out of the van.  No sooner had Smokes registered the operative as a non-threat then something else exploded out of the truck, bending the doors as it collided with them. The doors slammed opened with an ear-piercing screech of stressed metal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A blurred shape leapt high over the heads of Smokes and Freestyle; only Fastlane, tracking the fast-moving target through his scope, got a good look.  A woman, in a black hoodie, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers.  Fastlane saw his shot, took it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The laser beam carved an arc in the pavement in front of the fleeing woman, who skidded to a stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman put her hands up.  “Please, you don’t understand,” the woman said in English, with a light French accent.  “I have to get to the others!”  Torres rose from behind his low cover, training his Heavy Laser on the woman, who cringed in response.  “You can’t,” she said, turning to face him fully.  “I – You don’t get it!  Do you know how many of us they’ve </span>
  <b>
    <em>KILLED</em>
  </b>
  <span>?!?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she spoke the last, a wave of force rippled out from her, staggering the XCOM operatives.  Grabbing their heads and shaking them to clear the mental feedback clouding their thoughts, they struggled to respond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned to run again and take advantage of their temporary incapacitation, took two steps, and finally noticed the carnage around her.  She looked in awe at what these people had wrought:  laser burns, scorch marks, and alien carcasses scattered across a kilometer of wrecked and shattered blacktop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You – you can kill them?  But how?” she asked, turning to face the recovering troopers.  “Please, you have to help me find the others!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres fumbled with his microphone, mind still muddled from the mental feedback.  “Uh, Central, this is Delta 2.  Have you been following this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Back at XCOM HQ, Central nodded.  “I have, and so has the Commander.  Bring her in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy.”  Lowing his weapon, Torres stepped forward.  “Ma’am, you’re not safe here.  Come with us, we’ll get you to safety.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” the woman said.  “Help me find them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will,” Torres replied, not entirely sure he was lying.  “But for now, please come with us.  This whole dam is going to burst soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” the woman replied, turning and following the squad as they briskly jogged back to the Skyranger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s your name?” Torres asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Annette,” the woman replied.  “Annette Durand.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, we have my workup of Deluge and the introduction of Annette Durand.  Now, during the mission (and several others) alien enemies will “beam” into the mission site, but it really makes no sense to me that XCOM would deploy ground troops without having secured the airspace first, especially for this mission, since the whole point is that the aliens have strafed the dam to hell and back and it's barely hanging on.  It’s really just for the sake of the mission that there’s apparently a UFO overhead ready to beam in troops, but not finishing up actually destroying the dam (since the aliens didn’t seem to care about capturing Annette again).  So, I had an XCOM Firestorm taking out the UFO, which still “beamed” in troops, but before Strike One deployed.  And then, to have a bit of a boss battle at the end, I had another UFO come in and drop some troops at the end.</p><p>I’d originally thought the alien transport device was an actual transporter beam, but a Spacebattler suggested it would make more sense for it to be a kind of “gravity lift” device, like something from Halo or the “elevators” in the various alien ships and bases you storm in EU.  That made a lot more sense with where I’m taking the Ethereals overall.</p><p>Roselend Dam is an actual hydroelectric dam in France, one of a few, and the one I picked to have this mission take place on.  It doesn’t have the “towers” that are present on the actual map, but we can call that a slight difference between our world and the SGXCOM world.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Bots In Toyland</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which we check in with everyone's favorite android duplicates.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Control Room, SGC</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado</b>
</p><p>
  <b>April, 2002</b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Colonel,” General Hammond said in response to O’Neill’s transmission through the Stargate.  “What do you have to report?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, confirming initial SHIVR recon, this place is pretty much toast.  However, Carter did find something.”  O’Neill carried the portable camera over to show Hammond the young woman lying on a slab, dressed in alien clothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Care to expand on that?” Hammond asked, knowing O’Neill wouldn’t be pestering him if it wasn’t important, but having no idea what particular brand of lunacy SG-1 may have stumbled into this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She thinks it’s a robot, sir,” O’Neill answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sir?” Carter added, and O’Neill swung the camera up to catch her face.  “I’m positive this is some sort of artificial life form, but I can’t be sure of anything more than that under these conditions.  Requesting permission to take it to Altair and consult with Harlan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond nodded.  “Permission granted.  Report when you arrive on Altair, and keep me informed.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Comtraya!” Harlan called as SG-1 arrived.  “It is so good to see you again!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harlan,” O’Neill said, wincing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve brought something we were hoping you could help out with,” Carter said, stepping aside and motioning to the litter carried by Teal’c and Kelly, upon which the android rested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, what’s this then?  Another android, how exciting!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can tell that?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, indeed.  Her power source is already responding to our power node.  And the materials construction, my words!  So much.  Very advanced.  Oh, so many new ideas just from seeing her!  Oh, thank you friends!  Thank you so much!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good call, Carter,” O’Neill said as Harlan rushed Teal’c and Kelly to set the android down nearby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, any opportunity to make Harlan’s day,” Carter replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another O’Neill stepped out from the depths of the facility.  “Why is it that the only time you come around is when you want something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well hello, nice to see you too,” the first O’Neill replied sarcastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, sarcasm,” Robo’Neill replied.  “That’s original!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we don’t only come by when we need something,” O’Neill said.  He perked up as Harlan shouted for Krieger and Rossbach.  “See?  We brought you Kreiger and Rossbach.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, one neurotic XCOM scientist and one stoic XCOM engineer.  And you did too want something, you wanted us to start making liquid naquadah batteries for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill’s retort was cut off by an exclamation from Krieger.  “Wow-EE!  She is gorgeous!  Can I get pictures?  We should totally get pictures.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am preparing the electron tunneling scanner now,” Harlan replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woo-hoo!” Krieger whopped.  “Oh, I can’t wait to get a look under her hood!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he always like that?” O’Neill asked quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Robo’Neill replied.  “Harlan swears nothing went wrong with the personality copy. . .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shooed away by Harlan and the two robotic XCOM copies, Teal’c and Kelly wandered back over to the rest of SG-1.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Carter and Daniel?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carter’s hip-deep in repairs in the pumping stations, and Daniel went to check out some ruins you guys found a year or so ago.  Says he thinks he can find something you missed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, does he,” Daniel deadpanned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, we’ve got nothing but time,” Robo’Neill retorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, since you’ve got everything under control here, we’ll just mosey on home,” O’Neill said, turning for the Stargate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robo’Neill rushed to keep pace with him.  “Hey, wait a minute!  You can’t just drop in here, leave us a wayward android, then take off!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, places to go.  You know how it is.  Keep us posted.  Have fun, kids!”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Harlan directed Rossbach in making some modifications to the facility’s remote power node to make it fully compatible with the new android’s systems, while he and Krieger delved into the details of her physical construction, followed by her programming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, dear,” Harlan said, looking at the readouts.  “Oh, dear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s not good,” Krieger replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The physical design is pure genius,” Harlan said.  “Far more advanced than we are, far more capable.  Quite miraculous.  Oh, but this programming!  So sloppy, so rushed, so primitive!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This droid’s got issues.  Enough for a subscription!” Krieger stated.  “Can we fix her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think.  Perhaps.  It will take some time to work out this programming, and find ways to expand and patch it without causing damage.  Very delicate, very delicate indeed.  I’ll need you and Captain Carter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Science, to the rescue!”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Disgruntled, O’Neill stepped through the Stargate to Altair a whole two days after he’d left the last time.  “Alright, Harlan, what’s the big emergency?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was not me,” Harlan said.  “It was, well, you.  Insisted, he did, that I get you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And why?” O’Neill asked testily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because of this,” Robo’Neill replied, rolling up a small table with a glass case on top.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inside the case was a Replicator.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where the hell did that come from?” O’Neill asked, gripping his weapon, then remembering it was a laser and would probably do squat against a bug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that little toy you brought,” Robo’Neill retorted.  “She made it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Off to one side, the android stood, pouting.  “Everyone’s yelling at me.  I don’t like it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do not see the cause for all this alarm,” Harlan said, walking over to the android and putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.  “Reese was only trying to help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Help?” O’Neill asked.  “Harlan, do you have any idea what these things can do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just a toy,” Reese said.  “I made it for Harlan, because he said he was too busy to have fun.  I thought it would help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, and much help, much help!” Harlan agreed.  “Very small, goes places very quickly, quite capable.  Reese controls it, you see, can make it do.  Great for repairs!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great for turning this whole place into robo-bug city!” O’Neill replied.  “Harlan, didn’t you read any of the reports we’ve been sending?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harlan waved a hand.  “Very boring, those, and I have so much to do.  Let you handle that.  Or, let you handle that,” he corrected, motioning to Robo’Neill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, everyone,” Danielbot said.  “Let’s just all calm down and discuss this.  Over there,” he finished, pointing to an adjoining room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Daniel, what’s going on?” Reese asked plaintively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Reese.  We’re just going to go and talk for a minute, you stay here with Harlan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But why are you going over there to talk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, because it’s a boring talk, and I know how much you hate those, so we’re just going to be bored over there, while you stay here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danielbot guided everyone to the next room and closed the door.  “I don’t want to have this conversation in front of Reese, because she’s still a little touchy about the whole subject, partly because she doesn’t actually know she’s an android.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How is that possible?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you were a little slow on the uptake when it happened to you,” Robo’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean when it happened to </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” O’Neill shot back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re me, and I’m you, and life’s a butter dream,” Robo’Neill countered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danielbot waved his hands.  “That’s not the point.  The point is, I think the reason you guys didn’t find any life on her planet is because she made a bunch of Replicators, they got out of control, killed everyone, and left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter shook her head.  “But that doesn’t make sense.  Replicators feed on advanced technology.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>CyberCarter shook her head in response.  “But Reese made them, they wouldn’t attack her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so,” Carter replied.  “If the Replicators were responsible, and that’s a pretty big if, they would have consumed her as more raw materials and technology.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We went back to the planet,” CyberCarter countered.  “We found old, dead Replicator blocks, so we know the Replicators were involved.  The fact that Reese is still here means that, for whatever reason, they didn’t attack her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “Maybe she puts out some kind of signal that repels them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it has more to do with a kind of technological similarity.  They recognize Reese as one of their own, in a way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The point is,” Danielbot interjected, “Reese is powerful enough to make and control Replicators, but not emotionally mature enough to understand how dangerous they are and how horribly this could all go wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Emotionally mature?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danielbot sighed.  “That’s what we’re trying to tell you.  Whoever built Reese put flaws in her programming, resulting in a host of psychological issues, including refusal to accept her true nature, a childlike state of emotional development, and something akin to pretty strong attention deficit disorder.  Now, we’re working on correcting these problems, but it’s a difficult and time-consuming task, since we’re trying to write a massive patch for an artificial intelligence based on a completely foreign computer language, all without disrupting the parts of Reese’s programming that are working.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t want to fix one bug in the software only to introduce two more,” Carter summed up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly,” Danielbot confirmed.  “Now, we think we can keep Reese safe and stable here until we fix her, and even once we do she’ll probably be more at home here than anywhere else, but if she really is the mother of the Replicators—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Asgard need to know,” Robo’Neill finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack nodded.  “We’ll give ‘em a holler.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danielbot turned to lead them back out into the main chamber.  “Now, remember, Reese doesn’t know she’s an android, and responds violently if forced to confront it.  So just keep your mouths shut about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Back in the main room, Harlan and Reese were talking animatedly.  “Harlan,” Danielbot said.  “You had a thought about Reese’s toys you wanted to run past the others?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes!  Very helpful they are, very helpful!  I understand you have some reservations, but I have looked into it.  Reese’s control is very good, though she could be overwhelmed if the connectivity density of individual blocks over the subspace network frequency exceeds a bandwidth load capacity of—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harlan!” both O’Neill’s cried.  “Simple!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes.  Reese herself could maintain control over one hundred of her toys, though it would be a slight strain.  By teaching her to tie them into the complex’s central network, all of us could share the transmission load, maintaining complete control over up to one thousand!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a bad plan,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Colonel, no,” Harlan said.  “We wouldn’t have near that many.  Two-hundred-fifty, which would repair and maintain areas I have not been able to reach in centuries!  They’ll be of so much help!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And when they eat this facility and everyone in it alive?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They won’t!” Reese shouted.  “They’re good, and they listen to me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And, Colonel,” Harlan said quietly.  “When Reese is ready, she will be of such help to you and your other friends, won’t she?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like helping!” Reese stated.  “I want to help!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill ground his teeth.  “Alright.  But you—” he pointed to his robotic counterpart—“are getting a shipment of magnetic weapons from XCOM.  Those things get loose in here, you blow every last one to bits, you get me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Loud and clear, meatbag,” Robo’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It won’t come to that!” Reese promised.  “They’ll be really good, you’ll see!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill just shook his head.  “Carter, dial it up.”  He began muttering under his breath.  “How the hell am I going to explain this one to Hammond and XCOM?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, I’m not entirely happy with this one.  Mostly because it’s some ideas without a story to really hang them on, so it just kind of lurches from one bit to the next.  Oh, well.  It’s more putting guns on shelves.</p><p>With access to Harlan and his facility, there’s really no reason whatsoever to take Reese back to the SGC.  Harlan and RoboSG-1 are far better equipped to handle her, and perhaps repair her.  Though this is a long, difficult process, since they’re trying to fix essentially mental disorders within her programming without destroying her personality completely.  It’s hard enough to patch an MMO without introducing new bugs, so this is well beyond the SGC’s capabilities.  For Harlan, it’ll just take time.</p><p>As for why they didn’t patch Reese while she was sleeping, two reasons.  First, her power cell was already recharging, so she’d wake up on her own soon anyway.  In the episode proper, Carter noted that her power cell was almost completely drained, and was concerned that allowing it to run out completely, or removing it, would blank Reese’s memory, and thus their main clues as to what happened and where she came from.  Second, Harlan wanted to see how the flaws in her program manifested in practice, to have a better handle on what they were and how to go about fixing them.</p><p>The interesting thing to me about Reese and her Replicators is that she really did have control over them, up until they got too numerous for her to handle.  Sharing the processing load between the androids means they can have more active Replicators without them going their own way, and with a more stable environment Reese won’t have to cue them to defend her and teach them to be violent.  And Harlan would love some extra hands – metaphorically speaking – to help maintain his facility.</p><p>Harlan and Reese are a lot alike, I realized as I began writing this.  Both have a kind of hyperactive personality, both really enjoy new things, so it made sense that Harlan would grow very attached to Reese very quickly.</p><p>And I’ve been meaning to establish two new androids for a while, but I really didn’t have a story to tell that made it worthwhile, and couldn’t really justify shoehorning them in anywhere else.  So, some time back, an XCOM scientist and engineer volunteered to go to Altair and have android copies made, who stayed to help Harlan with the facility, learn about it, send anything interesting back to XCOM and the SGC, and perform quality control for the liquid naquadah batteries for XCOM/SGC energy weapons.  Krieger was a no-brainer.  For the engineer, I needed another name, and picked Rossbach, because reasons.  I’ll be quite surprised if anyone gets that reference.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Operation Sentinel Prime</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>SG-3 helps SG-1 fix someone else's mess.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, here’s my little retelling of episode 5.20 “The Sentinel”. I decided to focus on SG-3 and Strike One, since we all know what SG-1 got up to. The main change is that Kershaw lived, because Skeleton Suits are awesome.</p><p>Well, okay, there’s one other significant change. The Tollan seem like a people who would appreciate the Latonans’ way of life, even if the Tollan are more about scientific curiosity than philosophical curiosity. And if anyone could figure out more about the Latonans’ technology without violating their “highest law” it would be the Tollan. So O’Neill gets in touch with them to help get some info out of these people. It’s not anything that’ll dramatically change things, but given how Latonan tech seems to be pretty much idiot-proof and require no maintenance of any kind, there’s probably some lessons to be learned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Stargate</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Latona</b>
</p><p>
  <b>May, 2002</b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Major Warren swept his Laser Rifle across the line of advancing Jaffa troops.  The brief contact wasn’t enough to burn through their armor and wound them, but it was quite distracting, allowing two more SG-3 Marines to pick them off with focused shots.  Their fourth man, armed with a Heavy Laser, was firing up at one of the trio of Death Gliders circling on their position.  The two SHIVRs kept up streams of laser fire at the advancing Jaffa, their alloy plating scorched by staff blasts that hadn’t – yet – penetrated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warren tapped Sergeant Reilly on the shoulder.  “Dial it up, we can’t hold this position any longer!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yessir!” Reilly replied, keeping low and making for the Stargate.  He’d tapped in two symbols before the ‘Gate activated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Incoming!” Reilly shouted, tucking himself as deeply into the meager cover the DHD offered as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He held his fire as the first shape came through the ‘Gate, recognizing it.  “Reinforcements, sir!” he shouted as Striker raised his railgun.  The shot took one of the Death Gliders dead-center, smashing through the cockpit and bringing it down in a fiery ball of wreckage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eureka was next through the ‘Gate, also targeting the Gliders, ignoring the blasts from the Jaffa staff weapons that glanced off her cybersuit’s armor.  The rest of Strike One came through in twos, lasers firing, first to distract and disorient the Jaffa, then to take them out with precision.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Torres and his core team were through, four more XCOM soldiers followed, wearing the dark red armor of Support personnel.  A quick exam showed them none of SG-3’s Marines had injuries necessitating immediate medical care, and so they added their laser rifles to turning back the Jaffa advance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For several tense minutes, ruby lasers and golden plasma shot through the clearing around the Stargate, both sides focused on completely eliminating the other.  In the end, the superior numbers of the Jaffa proved inadequate to overcome the firepower, armor, and tactics of SG-3 and Strike One.  The last Jaffa broke and ran, to report the arrival of reinforcements to his superiors.  Fastlane boiled his head off with his Laser Sniper Rifle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hammond told the Commander you could use some help,” Torres said, standing up and looking at Major Warren.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t expect you to show up,” Warren answered, likewise standing.  “Thought you’d be halfway around the world hip-deep in Mutons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres shrugged.  “We’re not the only squad in XCOM, you know.  The Commander sent someone else to the latest hotspot, so we were free to lend a hand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warren grinned.  “We appreciate it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just returning the favor,” Torres replied.  “So what shitshow has SG-1 dragged us into this time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Latonans have a device called the Sentinel, which defends their world from attackers.  Problem is, a bunch of rogue operative types decided to sneak in, take the damn thing apart to see how it worked, and forgot a screw or something when they put it back together.  SG-1’s with them now trying to fix it—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the distance, the unmistakable warbling boom of orbital bombardment from a Goa’uld mothership sounded.  Warren winced.  “I was about to say, ‘before the Goa’uld mothership gets here’, but so much for that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are SG-1?” Torres asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know.  We split off to keep Jaffa defenders from reporting our arrival, and we’ve been out of radio range for some time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres nodded, thinking.  “Okay, Major.  I’m not the offworld expert, so Strike One is officially at your disposal.  What should we do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warren looked over the XCOM troops.  “Both MECs, your sniper, and two others should stay here to keep the ‘Gate secure.  The rest of us should go find Colonel O’Neill before something even worse happens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres nodded, tasking Striker, Eureka, Fastlane, and Corporals Winchester and Jorgenson to stay with the Stargate, as the rest of them moved out.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>SG-1 was not hard to find, since a whole column of Jaffa were marching on the small cave that apparently housed the Sentinel device.  Keeping low, SG-3 and Strike One surveyed the enemy troops from behind a huge log.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a lot of them,” Torres muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Warren replied, looking through his small binoculars.  “And they’ve got Colonel O’Neill, and looks like Grogan from SG-9.  Disarmed and chained up.”  He followed them as they vanished into the cave with a few Jaffa, one holding a cattle-prod-like torture device.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not good,” Torres said, squinting to see what he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess the rest of SG-1 is in there,” Warren added, motioning to the cave.  “Pretty well hidden, exactly where I’d set up a super secret weapon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres cradled his Heavy Laser, considering.  “So what’s the plan?” he asked after a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warren lowered his binoculars.  “For right now, nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing?” Torres asked.  “Your people are in there with a billion Jaffa marching down their throats.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we can’t take a billion Jaffa with what we have on hand,” Warren replied.  “Sit tight, SG-1’s got this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you kidding?” Torres asked, waving towards where O’Neill and Grogan had been.  “They’re trapped in there, there’s tons of Jaffa out here, O’Neill’s been captured, disarmed, and stripped of his armor, and the rest of his people are about to be the same, if not killed.  How, exactly, on this or any other world, do they ‘have this?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, a bright white light coruscated through the Jaffa ranks.  When it faded, they were all gone, only the soft ground churned by hundreds of feet to show they had ever been..</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warren smirked.  “That’s how.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They reached the cave just as SG-1 was emerging.  Kershaw was limping and leaning on Major Carter for support. A smoldering burn on the back of her Skeleton Suit marked where a Jaffa had tagged with a staff blast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got the Sentinel working, sir?” Warren asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack, looking only a bit worse for wear, nodded.  “Carter did.  Well, sort of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “The device required a human input, a Caretaker, who Grieves killed the last time they were here.  Grieves himself stepped up to activate the device, and he’s. . . well, he’s gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warren blinked.  “Gone?  Gone as in dead?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter shrugged.  “I’m not sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grogan spoke up.  “Marul kept saying the Sentinel would ‘send away’ their enemies, not kill them.  Maybe Grieves is wherever they are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or maybe Marul just thinks of ‘sent away’ like ‘neutralized,’” O’Neill offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel added his opinion.  “Or maybe the Latonans have forgotten so much about how the weapon works, they don’t even know if it kills their enemies or not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever it is, are there any chances we can get one?” Torres asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not likely,” Grogan replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not done unbuggering this mess yet,” O’Neill said.  “Carter, you said Grieves killed the Caretaker, but Marul was convinced he was still around because of some big candle on his desk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “The Caretaker had a device that would extinguish the flame if he died.  Kershaw rigged it so the flame never died.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you un-rig it?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kershaw nodded, wincing as her wound twinged.  “We buried him not far from here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good.  Grogan, you go with SG-3, tell Marul what’s happened and that they’re going to need a new Caretaker.  Carter, Daniel, Teal’c, with me and Kershaw.  Torres, head back to the ‘Gate, let Hammond know we’ve got things under control.  XCOM need you back right away?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Colonel, we’re at your disposal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded.  “Good.  Keep the ‘Gate secure until we get back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Copy.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>In the end, Marul was quite confused by what had happened, angry that the Caretaker had been murdered, and unmoved by Grieves’ sacrifice.  The SGC was welcome to return to Latona, but under no circumstances could they interact with the Sentinel or the Caretaker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But O’Neill had another idea in mind.  Getting in touch with the Tollan, he told them all about Latona and its people.  Intrigued, the Tollan soon began regular trips to Latona, finding it a pleasant and welcoming world with much opportunity for mental and spiritual contemplation.  And advanced Tollan technology provided several interesting readings on how Latonan technology worked, and continued to work in the absence of anyone who knew how to maintain it.  It was no Sentinel, but it was a wealth of technical data that, very sparingly, the Tollan shared with their Tau’ri allies.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. She Blinded Me With Psychics</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Annette's Story</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>XCOM HQ</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Brazil</b>
</p><p>
  <b>May, 2002</b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The Commander, Bradford, Vahlen, and Shen had listened to Annette’s story several times, separately and together, and collated it with their own data.  A very ugly, though still very incomplete, picture had begun to form, raising alarm among XCOM’s leadership and the Council they answered to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No matter how ugly the picture was, or might become in the future, one thing was steadfast:  Annette wanted to personally make the X-Rays pay for what they’d done to her and the others.  Scuttlebutt was that the Commander and Bradford had had a long, barely-civilized argument over it before Annette was finally granted a provisional XCOM commission, dependent on her ability to meet XCOM’s normal recruiting requirements.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so, Colonel “Delta 2” Torres took her to the firing range.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ever fired a gun before?” Torres asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette shook her head, looking at the array of weapons laid out on the table against the wall.  “I’ve never even held one before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres nodded.  “Good.  Lasers are a completely different animal from ballistics, so you won’t need to train away old reflexes.  We can start fresh.”  Torres walked to the table, and picked up the first weapon.  “LP-2T Training Laser Pistol.  Uses liquid naquadah batteries some friends of ours got for us to fire a thousand shots on a full charge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette shook her head.  “I don’t know what that means.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres grinned.  “I’m not entirely sure, either.  And it’s kind of a long story, anyway, and I’m not sure you’re cleared to hear it.  Suffice to say, this naquadah stuff is similar to what the aliens use to power their tech, but not as powerful.  More than adequate for our needs, though.  Mostly.  Now, these laser pistols fire a constant beam for 0.025 seconds per trigger pull.  The beam is at the high end of the visible spectrum, and dumps an enormous amount of heat into the target, burning it down like a highly-focused flamethrower.  Dr. Shen, mad bald wizard that he is, made these training pistols with a slightly different frequency and wavelength.  I don’t understand the tech, but it’s made to burn through anything except the specially polarized ballistic glass lining all the walls here, so we don’t risk burning holes in the base.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette nodded, barely keeping up with Torres’ rapid-fire explanation of the weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping closer, Torres held the weapon up for her inspection.  “Safety catch here, trigger here, lyenak battery here, beam comes out here.  Obviously, don’t put anything you don’t want barbecued in the way of the muzzle.  The alien alloys in its construction handle heat buildup and dissipation with aplomb, but lasers are still really inefficient and dump extraordinary amounts of heat.  You can fire the weapon as fast as you can pull the trigger, but that’s a really bad idea.  Thirty seconds of continuous fire will get painful.  Two minutes of continuous fire will start to damage the weapon, reducing efficiency and effectiveness and requiring a full maintenance overhaul at the end of the mission.  Five minutes will give you third-degree burns on any skin within ten centimeters of the weapon, as well as slag most of the more delicate internal components.  Good news, you won’t hurt yourself anymore.  Bad news, your weapon is now a white-hot paper weight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That seems. . . very dangerous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres shrugged.  “Best we’ve got, until Vahlen and Shen get the new plasma weapons online.  And the gloves on our Carapace Armor help protect from some accidental overheating, but still, you have to be cautious.  That’s why we’ve got the firing range and full-power lasers, so people can get used to managing the heat.”  Torres twisted the weapon around, presenting the grip to her.  “Go on, give it a whirl.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hesitantly, Annette took the laser in her hand.  It was heavier than she expected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres picked up a second pistol.  “Alright, I’m going to show you the basic firing stance,” he said, spacing his feet and raising the pistol in both hands.  “You try it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette did her best to mimic Torres’ pose.  Looking over her, Torres hesitated.  “Ma’am, may I have permission to touch your body for instructional purposes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette couldn’t stop a mischievous grin from blooming on her lips.  “That depends on what kind of instruction you had in mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres had long thought he was no longer capable of blushing.  He was wrong.  “To correct your stance, ma’am,” he answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Be my guest,” Annette replied.  Setting his pistol down, Torres gently but firmly adjusted the angle of Annette’s arms, back, and most delicately, hips and legs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, that feels better?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette nodded.  “It does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.  Now relax out of it, stand normal and assume the position again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette did as instructed, and again Torres made adjustments, though fewer this time.  “The stance should be second-nature, so we’ll work on it right now, and a little more in the coming days.  You should get to a point where you just drop into it without even thinking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For quite some time, that’s all Torres had Annette do, enter and exit the firing stance.  It was interesting, but Annette was getting impatient.  She wanted to shoot something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Torres gave her permission to step to the firing benches, take aim at the plastic targets, and fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The beam melted neat little holes through her selected target.  Two neat little holes, to be precise, out of ten shots fired before Annette yelped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I warned you,” Torres said with a grin.  “You gotta fire slow with these.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Setting the uncomfortably warm laser on the bench, Annette rubbed her hand.  “Lesson learned.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres shook his head.  “You’ll scorch yourself a few more times, I’m sure.  That’s why we drill, so when the adrenaline takes over, we have better sets of reflexes to fall back on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres and Annette spent several more hours on the shooting range, and Torres gradually helped Annette increase her accuracy to nearly fifty percent.  The pistol was fun, but Annette wanted to try one of the laser rifles, or maybe the big triple-barreled laser, like Torres carried.  But Torres refused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get good with that, and we’ll see what else you can handle.  I’ll help you find the weapon and style that suits you best, no fear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette nodded, then asked the question that had been bugging her since she’d met this man.  “Why do they call you ‘Delta 2?’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres frowned.  “When the first X-Ray attack happened, my squad was sent in to investigate.  Delta Squad.  We were the best humanity had to offer, but. . . we had no idea what we were up against.  I was the squad XO, hence ‘Delta 2.’  I was also the only one to make it back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette nodded.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres shrugged.  “It’s okay.  Photos of my old squad are up on XCOM’s memorial wall, I visit them every so often.  And I’m going to see this war through to the end.  For them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s personal for both of us, then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres nodded.  “It is.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>In a flash of light, Anise appeared in XCOM’s Ring Transporter, and Dr. Vahlen rushed to meet her as the rings retracted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How is Doctor Jackson?” she asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not well,” Freya replied, tears glistening in her eyes.  “Anise attempted to use a Goa’uld healing device, but the damage is too extensive.  His tissues are degrading faster than we could fix them.  Anise. . . is not taking it well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen nodded.  “I spent two hours on the phone with that arrogant, condescending idiot at Area 51.  He’s certain he can modify the sarcophagus for safe use, and refuses to cut his project short to have it operational for Doctor Jackson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reassembling a sarcophagus is no easy feat, especially in such a short amount of time. Besides,” Freya shook her head.  “Daniel has refused sarcophagus treatment already.  He doesn’t want to risk ‘falling off the wagon’, he said.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, what are they going to do?” Vahlen asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A tear rolled out the corner of Freya’s eye.  “Nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen was silent a moment.  “I see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya wiped at her face, and took a deep breath to compose herself.  “For now, we have other concerns.  How is Annette?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen pursed her lips.  “Are you sure you want to do this now?  We could postpone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya shook her head.  “Anise may be taking some time to process Daniel’s death, but I’m quite capable of assisting, Moira.  There’s no need for us to postpone.”  Freya managed a weak smile.  “One of the advantages of having two minds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen nodded.  “Then, let’s get going.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>They met Annette Durand as she paced outside the Psi Lab.  “Finally!” the French woman exclaimed.  “We’re wasting time!  The others—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get to them momentarily,” Vahlen replied.  “For now, we need to understand more about you.  That’s why we’re here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have time!” Annette retorted.  “Who knows what they’re doing to them, what they’ve done to them!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen put her hands out, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.  “The Geoscape has been quiet for days, no signs of alien activity.  You’re our only lead to finding these ‘others’, and we need to know what you know before we can do that.  Please, Ms. Durand, calm yourself, and let us help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grudgingly, Annette nodded, and let Dr. Vahlen lead her into the Psi Lab.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya set about preparing her equipment for preliminary tests, while Vahlen explained the procedure to Annette.  Based on their work with Cassandra Frasier, Anise and Vahlen had perfected a set of tests to eliminate those with no current psychic potential, and had begun working on a procedure to awaken the latent talents of those who passed the initial screening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they had the equipment and Annette ready to go, Freya powered up the psionic amplification device to ten percent.  “Now,” she began, “I’m going to think of a number—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette gasped.  “I’m so sorry about your friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya blinked.  “Pardon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your friend, the one who’s dying.  Radiation poisoning.  Daniel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya blinked again, this time not in confusion.  “I was asking you to tell me what number I was thinking of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t hear any number, not over that grief.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fascinating,” Freya said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s happening?” Vahlen asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya sighed.  “Anise’s grief over Daniel’s passing is quite strong, but it’s contained behind our shared sense of purpose for these experiments.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The kinds of shields you were asking Cassie to break through?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya nodded.  “Which she was able to do. . . at 25%.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You started at 25%?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.  I started at ten.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen turned back to Annette.  “Fascinating, indeed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Annette, I’d like to try something, if you’ll agree.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette nodded.  “I’m ready.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to increase power to 35%, and have you think of something.  An image, a memory, a fantasy, anything.  I want you to make it as real in your mind as you can, and when you’re ready, try transmitting it into my mind.  I want you to try and push it in past the emotional turmoil you’ve sensed.  Can we try that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette nodded again.  “I’m ready,” she repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Increasing power to 35%.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For several minutes, nothing seemed to happen.  Annette sat in her chair, her attention focused inward on her own memories, while Freya stood patiently, monitoring the readings and waiting for Annette to do her part.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Freya grabbed her head, screamed, and collapsed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Freya!” Vahlen cried, rushing over to her.  The woman’s eyes had rolled back in her head, her body was limp, and a faint trickle of blood ran from her nose.  But her vitals were strong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon, her eyes rolled back to normal, though they took some time to refocus on Vahlen.  “I saw it,” Freya said breathlessly.  “I saw the others, where they are, what’s being done.  I saw what they did to Annette.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted her to see,” Annette said.  “I wanted her to understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Understand what?” Vahlen asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This place—I’ve been here before, but it wasn’t me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was her,” Freya added.  “In the base that day.  It was her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen shook her head.  “Neither of you are making any sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya shook her head, trying to clear it.  “The invaders, when they attacked the base, when they mind-controlled most of the staff.  So many, from so far away.  She let them do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen looked between Freya and Annette, dawning horror on her face.  “Annette served as some kind of amplifier for the aliens’ psychic powers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freya nodded.  “They used her as a tool, broke her in the process, and discarded her because she wasn’t useful anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My brain,” Annette replied.  “I don’t know what they did, but ever since then, I hurt, deep in my head, and I don’t know why.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen nodded, the pieces clicking into place.  “Some part of your psychic ability, perhaps a portion of your very brain itself, was overtaxed by what you were forced to do, and it burned out, like an electrical fuse.”  Cold anger burned in Vahlen’s heart.  “And they’re trying to do the same with the others, aren’t they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not exactly,” Freya said, sitting up on her own.  “Annette’s ability seems unique, or at least spectacularly rare.  The others have potential, but not like hers.  But they want that potential, for some reason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Vahlen said, standing, and helping Freya to her feet.  “We have to tell the Commander.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, in the Cybernetics Lab, Dr. Shen stood in front of Lieutenant William “Striker” Anderson, who had just buttoned himself up in the new Mechanized Exoskeletal Cybersuit Mark 2, which Shen had taken to calling the “Sentinel,” in honor of the powerful Latonan weapon.  Dr. Vahlen’s research into elerium and the power sources using it aboard alien craft had allowed Shen to design more compact and efficient power sources for the MECs, doubling their output for no increase in mass or volume, which in turn had allowed him to redesign the MEC almost from the ground-up to make use of the extra energy.  Thicker armor plating, more robust construction, and higher-draw servomotors gave this Cybersuit fifty percent more durability and slightly higher mobility.  Shen had debated about adding even more protection, but decided the MECs needed to be able to keep up with, and perhaps even outpace, their purely organic comrades in the field, especially now that more and more of them were receiving Meld enhancements in Vahlen’s Genetics Lab.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not a competition</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Shen reminded himself.  Still, as he looked over his handiwork, he couldn’t help but smile.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>But I’m going to win anyway.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Feels good, Doc,” Striker said, moving around in the suit.  “Responses feel quicker.  If I didn’t know better, I’d swear this is lighter than the Warden.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shen shook his head.  “Twice as heavy, but twice the power generation.  It all comes down to power versus payload.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This payload is sweet.  Can’t wait to try out the grenade launcher.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shen’s smile grew.  “Just remember, Dr. Vahlen is not a fan of using explosives on the aliens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Striker smiled back.  “We’ll start bringing Ziploc baggies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shen nodded.  “I don’t think you’ll be needing it much, and it might be more useful for clearing a path through rubble and debris.  Between your flamethrower and Eureka’s Kinetic Strike Module, as well as the Railgun, you should be able to handle most threats.  And I expect we’ll have the particle cannons ready for deployment within a month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sweet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shen watched Striker test the suit, checking the readouts every so often.  Everything was performing within parameters.  Which was exactly what Shen expected, but it was nice to know for sure.  Much as Shen would like to state it was his own, pure genius at work, he knew that without the billions of dollars funneled into the XCOM project and his massive staff of engineers, to say nothing of all the alien technology recovered by XCOM soldiers, he’d never have been able to even dream of half the things he’d managed to build.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eyes on the readouts for any alert, he let his mind wander to the report he’d received from</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>the SGC.  The naquadria substance they’d encountered was certainly promising, but its radioactivity troubled him.  Normal naquadah was stable enough that it could safely be treated as non-radioactive in almost all cases.  While naquadria’s energy output was similar to elerium, Shen was concerned the radioactivity meant instability in that energy output, and had fears it would prove an inferior energy source to elerium, or even regular naquadah.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the tests concluded and all readouts remained stable, Shen decided that was a problem for another time.  For right now, he had more MEC-2 Sentinels to build.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>In her cell, Nirrti went over the results from Annette’s preliminary psionic testing.  Finally, she had been granted some leeway to have diversions in her captivity, but it was strictly limited to her work for XCOM.  The scientists still watched her closely, going over everything she did to make sure nothing was working against them or toward escape, but Nirrti had nothing to hide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette’s results were intriguing, but far more interesting were the medical readouts of Daniel Jackson’s death, and moments immediately after.  The eyewitness reports were intriguing, if vague, but what the humans’ medical machines had recorded was astonishing.  Before, Nirrti had seen the opening steps of a journey.  Now, at last, she’d seen the destination.  There were lifetimes of data to study.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Nirrti had nothing but time.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, here we have the events of episode 5.21 “Meridian” taking place from the perspective of XCOM.  Annette’s story is developed a bit further, Shen’s built a new MEC, and Nirrti is. . . well, being Nirrti.</p><p>Special thanks to the Atomic Rockets website for really good, in-depth analysis of common sci-fi weapons, equipment, ships, and so on, for helping me figure out exactly how XCOM’s lasers work, narratively if not technically.</p><p>So, what role does naquadriah play in our little drama?  Ultimately, not much.  Elerium provides about the same level of potential energy, without the radioactivity and instability that doomed pretty much all of the SGC’s attempts to do anything useful with it.  With both naquadriah and elerium being very rare resources, the SGC/XCOM will be relying primarily on naquadah for the foreseeable future, with elerium being used only when necessary, and naquadriah probably not being used at all.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Operation Villain Ball</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which some Goa'ulds shoot at each other.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Television Studio</b>
</p><p>
  <b>New York City</b>
</p><p>
  <b>May 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re going live in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robert Kinsey wiped the sweat on his palms onto the handkerchief he had hidden under the curved desk he was sharing with news host Neil Cavuto. During the commercial break, he’d gently wiped his face to avoid marring the makeup he’d been given to make him look better on camera. For whatever reason, they insisted on using halogen lamps on the set, making it unbearably hot, to the point where everyone vacated the set and sat in front of small fans during all but the beginning and end of commercial breaks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was just one more reason why he hated this part of the political game, but it was still part of his job, so he did it. Besides, it was always good to get his face out there in the public’s view, and at the very least, Cavuto knew business and finances. That was solid ground for him, unlike the touchy-feely world of most news talk shows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re here with Senator Robert Kinsey, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, discussing the latest round of spending by capitol hill. Sir, very good to have you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a pleasure to be here, Neil,” Kinsey smoothly replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cavuto tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement, before getting down to business. “Senator, there’s been a lot of big appropriations bills in the wake of the Mexico City tragedy, understandably so, but this one takes the cake – $100 billion over two years. A lot of the people at home are wondering what exactly we’re getting out of all this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well Neil, I think that’s a completely valid question,” he began. “First and foremost, this bill’s covering the costs of thousands of lasers, magnetic weapons, and armor our hard working soldiers need to prevent another Mexico City from happening again. Second, a large chunk of these funds are devoted specifically to building or refurbishing manufacturing facilities to build these new weapons. Third, we’re building a training pipeline so anyone who’s got a GED or a high school diploma can get the skills they need for one of these new jobs within six months, instead of four years for a college degree.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I noticed this bill has quite a lot of bipartisan support from not just Rust Belt states, but the South as a whole as well. How big a role did the Mexico City attack play in getting their votes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t play a role,” Kinsey admitted. “But in some cases, it was more about looking to the future, after all this alien business is settled. For example, my colleagues from Florida felt this was a great opportunity to expand the state’s business profile beyond just being a tourism and space industry state.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cavuto nodded. “It’s certainly a great opportunity for all of those states, but we’re all familiar with all sorts of projects that have gone over budget and past their original timetables. What’s keeping the same thing from happening here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, for one, I personally spearheaded an effort to include language in the bill stating that unless the states produced results within two years, they won’t be receiving any part of this funding.” Kinsey leaned forward to emphasize the point. “I agree that we’ve seen too many projects, national and local, drag on far past the point they should’ve been completed. A lot of that boils down to red tape, not just on the federal level, but on the state and municipal level. Now, we’ve done our best to minimize the hurdles to getting in on this deal on our end – it’s up to the cities and states to do their part.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And they damn well better, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kinsey thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>otherwise we spent all this damn money for nothing, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>we won’t have the tools we need to fight these damn aliens, </span>
  </em>
  <span>plus </span>
  <em>
    <span>the Goa’uld.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Switching topics, what do you have to say to criticisms that these levels of expenditures are going far beyond what’s necessary to protect the country and it’s citizens? Certainly it seems like the so-called “black budget” has ballooned in the past year.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey leaned back, fully prepared to field this question. “To those people, I would say that the hard working men and women of our armed forces are toiling day and night on a wide range of projects that should help defend our great nation from alien aggression. We’re also working with our overseas allies on ways to protect </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of humanity. But we’ve got to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>our </span>
  </em>
  <span>part by setting up the infrastructure they need to get their creations from the lab to wherever they’re needed. This bill in particular is a major step towards that, because if we all work together and get it done, we’ll see an industrial resurgence and productivity that hasn’t been matched since World War II.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And the best part, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kinsey silently added to himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>is spreading all that manufacturing capacity across the country means we’ll be able to churn out spaceships faster than anyone else on planet once disclosure happens, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>get plenty of damn votes in the process.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Cavuto took a quick glance at the notes in front of him, and looked at Kinsey. “So you’re saying that this is just the beginning of a larger series of similar bills and programs?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t publicly speak to that,” Kinsey demurred. “But I will say that I’m confident that if the people make the most of the many opportunities coming in the near future, our country will be in a great position, economically and militarily, especially once the alien menace is out of the picture. And many of those benefits will extend to our overseas allies. The future looks bright, as long as America rises to the challenge and comes together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cavuto nodded and paused as a member of the studio crew let him know a commercial break was coming through his ear piece. “Sir, thank you very much. We appreciate it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey shook hands with him, smiling the whole time. “The pleasure’s all mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Five minutes later, he was on the way to a private jet to get him back down to Washington, with a Stargate Command intelligence briefing in hand. As he settled into a nice leather chair on the Learjet, he flipped open the classified document. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Let’s see what those Goa’uld are getting up to these days…</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Apophis smiled smugly as he looked at the pitiful fleet arrayed against him on the viewscreen.  Whoever this upstart was, whatever technological advantage he enjoyed, he was no match for the ships Apophis had brought with him, the support of Olokun’s vessels, and the might of Apophis’ flagship, the largest and mightiest ever constructed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hail them,” he commanded the Jaffa at the controls.  “I wish to speak to our enemy before destroying him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seconds later, the cloaked and hooded figure of his opponent appeared.  “I am Supreme System Lord Apophis, and you have attacked those under my rule.  In my endless wisdom and mercy, I offer you the chance to surrender your ships and troops, and in return I shall make your death quick and painless.”  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Relatively speaking</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he added to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will not surrender,” the shrouded figure replied, his voice even deeper and hollower than Apophis’.  “Rather, it is you who will be destroyed, or come to serve under me as Supreme System Lord.  A mantle you have never deserved, Apophis.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Such insolence,” Apophis said dismissively.  “Such arrogance for one of your station, of which you have none.  For such insults, now, if you surrender, your death shall be a thing of legendary torment.  Should I conquer you in battle, know that no being before or after will know agony as you shall.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t count on that,” the figure answered.  “Your creativity is insufficient to match the horrors I have known, let alone exceed them.  Ever have you stood on the shoulders of your betters, Apophis, doing only what they have done because you are incapable of thinking for yourself, then wondering why you fail when your plots have such obvious and easily-exploitable holes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis scowled.  “Your name,” he demanded.  “Tell me, that I might see it a curse for all eternity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am Anubis,” the figure replied.  “And I shall see your name erased from eternity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anubis is dead,” Apophis retorted, smiling once again.  “You have chosen a poor name to usurp, whoever you are, for Anubis died an ignominious fool, and you shall not earn a shred of his infamy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You above all should know that gods cannot die, Apophis,” Anubis said smoothly.  “And where I have been, I have learned secrets that would implode your insignificant, unworthy brain.  This I bring to the Goa’uld, a new dawn of power and glory.  And I have decided, now, that you shall not live to witness it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You shall live to witness my final triumph over all the foes of the Goa’uld!” Apophis retorted, shooting to his feet.  “And that life shall be long, and filled with untold agonies!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do tell,” Anubis replied sardonically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis snarled and motioned his Jaffa to cut the channel.  “All ships, open fire!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All told, twenty ha’taks had gathered in this branch of the hunt for this slippery upstart, and Apophis himself had brought his massive flagship, ten times the size of a standard ha’tak, armed and armored and shielded to match.  Arrayed against them was a pitiful force of five ha’taks, only three of which launched gliders and al’kesh in response to the breakdown of what passed for negotiations among the Goa’uld.  Golden balls of plasma streaked between the forces, the volume of fire from Apophis’ contingent far outweighing that of his opponent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My lord, two ha’taks have been destroyed!” Apophis’ Jaffa announced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent,” Apophis said, reclining on his throne, his smug smile returning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, my lord, two of </span>
  <em>
    <span>our</span>
  </em>
  <span> ha’taks!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Apophis asked, his grin vanishing before it had fully blossomed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And now two more.  Their weapons are tearing right through our shields!  Our own weapons have no effect on theirs!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Increase fire!” Apophis roared.  “All ships!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Apophis’ fleet barraged all five enemy ships, those five focused on one ship at a time, draining their shields in seconds and obliterating them completely seconds later.  What Apophis’ did not know was that the three lead ships, which took the brunt of his assault, not only had the improved shields and weapons Anubis hoped would put the Goa’uld on an even footing with the Asgard, but had been equipped with the Eyes of Balor, Osiris, and Ba’al, further increasing their power.  Any of Anubis’ ships was a match for any three ha’taks, but these three ships were twice as powerful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The losses mounted, Olokun’s force of five ships completely wiped out, and Apophis’ reduced by one-third.  His gigantic flagship began taking fire, the shields flaring alarmingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Retreat!”  Apophis snapped.  “Now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My lord, the shields are holding, and we have twice their guns.  We could--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His First Prime’s words were cut off as a blast from Apophis’ kara kesh threw him over the console, and Apophis himself sprang from his throne and began steering the ship for a hyperspace jump, signaling the rest of his forces to withdraw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Watching Apophis flee in disgrace, Anubis smiled – or would have, if he’d had anything resembling a face.  He’d been concerned about the firepower Apophis had assembled, especially aboard his flagship, but his new ha’taks had acquitted themselves admirably.  And once his own flagship was finished, and he had recovered the remaining Eyes, none would be able to challenge his power.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the edge of the system, lurking behind the small ball of ice that was the last planet, Thor watched the battle from the bridge of his cloaked </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bilskirnir</span>
  </em>
  <span>-class cruiser.  The readings his sensors recorded were not encouraging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, crap, as I believe O’Neill would say,” Thor muttered to himself as he plotted a course and engaged his ship’s hyperdrive.  He knew the victors of the battle would detect the energy of the hyperspace window, but after seeing their improved weapons and shields, he didn't want to gamble on the possibility of them having advanced sensors that could penetrate his cloaking technology.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, crap, indeed,” Thor muttered again as his ship rocketed away at billions of times the speed of light.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Hours later, Apophis had to explain what had happened to the System Lords, once again gathered in their meeting chambers on the Hasara space station.  Apophis put the most positive spin on the debacle he could, which wasn’t much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was an unmitigated disaster!” Lord Yu stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis smiled with a confidence he didn't entirely feel.  “That was merely a probe of our enemy’s power,” he replied.  “Now that we know what he is capable of, we will meet him in force and crush him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A simple probe?” Ba’al asked sardonically.  “With your mighty flagship at its head?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Apophis replied.  “That I might gauge the enemy in person.  The mission was successful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then where is Olokun?” Morrigan asked lightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Olokun was a fool who refused to retreat once we learned what we needed to know.  And so he died a fool.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And did you learn anything worth the death of a System Lord?” Ba’al asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A name, at least?” Yu added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis nodded.  “Our mysterious enemy calls himself Anubis.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The assembled System Lords exchanged uncertain looks, except Lord Yu, who gaped at Apophis with slack jaw.  “Anubis is dead!” he cried, after several moments of searching for his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course he is,” Apophis replied.  “This is just some upstart who has chosen a particularly inauspicious name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An upstart who routed a force of twenty ships with but five.”  Apophis glared at Ba’al, who raised his hands placatingly.  “Of course, it was but a probe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If this Anubis is so powerful,” Morrigan said, raising her eyes to gaze pointedly at Apophis, “perhaps we would be better served under his leadership.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis glowered at her, but it was nothing compared to the glare of unbridled rage and hate Lord Yu skewered her with.  “Do you know why Anubis was exiled and killed by Ra so long ago?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morrigan gave an eloquent shrug, which did very interesting things to her host’s body in the strapless, black leather corset she wore.  “That information has not been available in any of the Goa’uld histories I’ve read.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because his crimes were unspeakable!” Yu retorted.  “In an age of barbarism and cruelty, Anubis stood above all!  I will suffer no pretender to his name.  And if by some dark miracle he has returned, I will not suffer him to remain so for long!”  Yu turned his withering glare on each System Lord in turn, not even sparing Apophis.  “And I will personally ensure any who align with him will share his fate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis barely kept his smug smile in check.  Lord Yu’s keen mind was a bane to struggle against, but when interests aligned, there was no better ally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The System Lords exchanged uneasy glances.  It was obvious that Apophis had fled in disgrace, and his thinly-veiled lie about probing the enemy for weaknesses was blatant to all.  However, in his position, none of the others would have acted differently; one did not get to be a System Lord by taking unnecessary risks.  And while many of them would have preferred for Apophis to have gotten himself killed, sparing them his rule, by Goa’uld law and tradition his opponent would have claimed all Apophis owned:  the single most massive fleet and army ever assembled by the Goa’uld.  The thought of those numbers backed by the technological superiority this Anubis enjoyed sent cold chills up many a spine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Ba’al said, first to break the awkward silence, as was his nature.  “I certainly have no interest in defying the will of our Supreme System Lord.  My forces are yours, Lord Apophis.”  Apophis knew better than to take Ba’al’s practiced smile at face value, that his warmth was so fake ice wouldn't melt in his mouth, but the support was appreciated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kali and Bastet exchanged a meaningful look, and Bastet nodded.  Kali shifted her gaze to Apophis.  “We will support you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All eyes turned to Morrigan, who gave another intriguingly eloquent shrug.  “If it is the will of the Council of System Lords, of course we offer our full support.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis smiled.  “Then we will crush this pretender together.  Go, prepare your armies for glorious battle.”  As the System Lords began to leave, Apophis called out.  “Lord Ba’al, remain a moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al stiffened, then turned, his insincere smarmy smile unaffected.  “As you wish, my Lord.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is time,” Apophis said when the other System Lords were out of earshot.  “Where is your Eye?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al’s smile slipped imperceptibly.  “My Eye?” he asked innocently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis’ eyes flashed in annoyance.  “Yes, your Eye.  As I hold the Eye of Apophis, as Ra and Marduk held theirs, where is the Eye of Ba’al?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al’s smile somehow turned contrite without his expression actually changing.  “Apologies, my Lord, but I moved it to the weapons factory you asked me to build for safekeeping.  It was lost with the planet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis snarled.  “I should kill you for such incompetence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al shrugged easily.  “If you think that best, my Lord,” he replied smoothly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis glowered.  None of the other System Lords, save perhaps the ancient Yu, would know of the Eyes’ true value, and why Apophis would consider Ba’al losing one to be so important.  The whole Council of System Lords, and Apophis’ place at its head, was balanced on the edge of a blade, and one misstep would spell disaster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Apophis saw all this reflected in the smug self-assurance in Ba’al’s eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Begone,” Apophis spat.  “And do not fail me again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As my Lord wills it,” Ba’al replied, bowing and backing out of the chamber.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After Ba’al left, Apophis growled in frustration.  This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> how his glorious tenure as Supreme System Lord was supposed to go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al kept his self-assured grin in place by sheer reflex, lost in thought as he walked back to his ship.  Apophis was unfit for the post of Supreme System Lord, any fool could see that.  But his might was unassailable by any of the other System Lords.  And this Anubis, who or whatever he was, was too much a wild card to base plans upon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al needed a third option.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Given enough time, he should easily be able to create one.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This replaces most of the events of episode 5.22 “Revelations.”  The first part of this story was written by a Spacebattler, in response to the second part, which I’d written and shown to some for review.  It’s very good, my thanks.  In EU, XCOM gradually shared their technology with at least the Council nations, either through the “Grey Market” or Council Requests (like give them 3 Arc Throwers, 5 SCOPEs, whatever).  So we’re starting to see that come out here, though it was mentioned as early as Chapter Two, with Shen noting they traded the Russians some Arc Throwers and Nanofiber Vests for the Stargate and DHD.  Since XCOM and the SGC are working together, and Area 51 is sort of a joint R&amp;D hub, it follows that, as the alien attacks grow more intense, the governments wouldn’t just sit on their hands, but work to actually improve all their armed forces.  Now, a sticky widget here is how they’re going to power these designs, since elerium is precious and rare, and liquid naquadah would require more explaining than most in the US government are comfortable with, but. . . well, Bra’tac would say that bridge is too heavily guarded.</p><p>Leading into that, we have the first conflict between Apophis and Anubis, and indeed, Anubis is the one who’s been causing problems for the System Lords since Chapter Twenty-Three.  I had a great deal of trouble figuring out what I wanted to do with the climax of Season Four, where in canon Carter blew up Vorash's sun to destroy Apophis and his fleet.  A Spacebattler convinced me to keep Apophis alive, and have him face off against Anubis, partly by getting me picturing the epic levels of Ham-To-Ham Combat the two would engage in.  Hopefully it was amusing.</p><p>We also have another significant change.  Since Anubis is contending with the might of a unified Council of System Lords backed by the might of Apophis’ ridiculously huge fleet, he’s got to step twice as hard to stay ahead of them.  So he doesn’t really have the luxury of attacking Asgard Protected Planets in an attempt to kidnap and brainjack Thor, so that doesn’t happen.  Rather Thor witnesses the battle, and realizes things are not going well in the good old Milky Way.</p><p>The final part of this chapter was another idea seed planted by Spacebattlers.  After reading the battle scene, they noted that it’s a rather crushing defeat for Apophis, and the System Lords would be ready to pounce on him for weakness, so I wrote the pouncing and the fighting back.  Apophis may not know exactly what the Eyes are capable of, or that Anubis has three of them, but he knows enough to know he’s got to step up his game somehow.  Too bad Ba’al lost his.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Just Another Tough Treaty Talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>More with our alliterative alliance, though it is no longer alliterative.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Tok’ra City</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Niss Trah</b>
</p><p>
  <b>May, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite Daniel Jackson’s ambiguous demise, Colonel Jack O’Neill had requested that SG-1 remain on active duty while a replacement team member was found.  General Hammond had agreed, and SG-1’s first mission was a relatively light duty, returning to Niss Trah for another meeting with the Tollan and Tok’ra.  Colonel Zhang accompanied them, as he wanted to meet the SGC’s offworld allies and see what support they might be able to offer XCOM, or vice versa.  The SGC and XCOM had also finally found a diplomat to keep interactions with the Tollan and Tok’ra as productive as possible for all sides.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dr. Elizabeth Weir had been with XCOM’s Internal Diplomacy Division for two years.  Keeping the multinational organization running, with soldiers from countries with chilly or downright hostile relations working together as a unit, called for some of the most difficult work of Weir’s career.  While she’d never really been a fan of military action, even she was forced to admit that the X-Rays would only respond to violent resistance.  As reports from the SGC crossed her desk, and she read of the threats further beyond Earth, Weir had privately begun to despair that the universe was, by nature, a cruel and careless place, where the strong survived by preying upon the weak, with no room for mutual respect and cooperation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she’d been given the files on the Tollan and Tok’ra, and the budding alliance between them and Earth, she’d felt the stirrings of hope once more.  She’d lobbied hard for reassignment to the alliance negotiations, and as she stepped out of the Stargate onto the new Tok’ra homeworld, she felt buoyed by the hope that, threats like the Goa’uld, the Replicators, and the X-Rays aside, humanity would be able to take their place among a galactic civilization of equals.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ready to greet them, an old, balding man in tan roughspun stood flanked by two younger men in similar garb, carrying staff weapons and zats.  He approached SG-1 solemnly.  “We’re all very sorry to hear about Daniel,” he said softly.  “The High Council held Dr. Jackson in the highest respect, and declared a public day of mourning when they got the news.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter’s face remained flatly expressionless, and Jack nodded.  “I’m sure he would have appreciated that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man turned to face Zhang and Weir, who were hanging a bit back from SG-1.  “Welcome to Niss Trah.  I’m Jacob Carter, host to Selmak.  This is our escort, Tok’ra warriors Fyor host to Kale, and Sigmin host to Mapep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weir approached, extending her hand towards Jacob.  “Dr. Elizabeth Weir, envoy from the SGC and XCOM. This is Colonel Shaojie Zhang, XCOM liaison to the SGC.”  Jacob took her hand, shaking firmly.  “I’m sorry, this is a whole new set of protocol for me. . . should I address you as Jacob, Selmak, or both?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob smiled.  “Either works, we’ll know who you’re talking about.  Technically, while the host is speaking you’d use their name, and the symbiote’s name when they’re speaking, but we won’t take it personally if you get it wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weir nodded as Jacob released her hand.  “And how do I know who’s speaking at any given moment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob lowered his head, raised it, and Selmak answered in his deeper tone.  “It shouldn’t be difficult.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Years of diplomatic training kept surprise from showing on Weir’s face.  She’d read about the “boombox voice” the Goa’uld and Tok’ra could do, but hearing it coming from a seemingly human mouth was more of a shock than she’d anticipated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob looked at the still-active Stargate, his voice changing back to normal.  “Shouldn’t that be closing?  The Tollan will be arriving soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, but wait,” Jack said, grinning.  “There’s more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of the Stargate, in single file, came four devices, gleaming with the dull silver color of alien alloys and made of graceful, sweeping curves.  Mounted on the top was a rotating turret containing a large weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are those?” Jacob asked as the last one emerged from the Stargate, which closed behind it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The latest innovation from XCOM’s mad genius, Dr. Shen,” Zhang answered.  “The Super-Heavy Infantry Vehicle, Hover Variant.  We call it a Hover SHIV.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Little gift from Earth to the Tok’ra, to help guard your new base,” Jack added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang nodded.  “The hull is armored with the alien alloy, which we’ve just begun producing from our orbital foundry.  Two naquadah generators supply power, and our understanding of the alien propulsion systems lets it defy gravity.  It is currently armed with a laser cannon, but once Vahlen and Shen have cracked the invader’s plasma weapons, we’ll supply those to you for upgrade.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sam stepped forward, pulling a data crystal out of her pack.  “We transferred all the technical specs to this, so you can maintain, repair, and upgrade them yourselves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob took the crystal, and looked at the robotic weapons platforms.  “Impressive.  I’m sure the Council will be quite pleased with your gift.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moments later, the Stargate activated again, and the Tollan delegation arrived.  Omoc was accompanied by Nareem and a slender female with a Tollan weapon strapped to her hip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omoc’s gaze was immediately drawn to the four Hover SHIVs waiting patiently for instructions.  He slowly turned to look at Colonel O’Neill.  “You came up with this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack smiled and shrugged.  “Ah, well, you know me.  Just a little something I whipped up in my spare time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang cleared his throat.  “Dr. Shen of XCOM designed and fabricated them, but they are indeed a gift from Earth to the Tok’ra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omoc gave the machines another once over, nodding.  “Impressive.  I’d like to take a closer look before we leave, if that’s alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “I’ve given the Tok’ra the technical details, and I’ll probably want to go over them with their scientists later.  You’re more than welcome to tag along, far as I’m concerned.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jacob nodded as well.  “I doubt the Tok’ra would object.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, they began making their way to the Tok’ra city.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Arriving in the meeting chamber, SG-1 found two surprises waiting for them.  One, the triangular table that had been used in previous meetings had been replaced by a square one, and two, Master Bra’tac was engaged in conversation with Malek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bra’tac,” O’Neill said.  “Didn’t think to see you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We thought the Jaffa should be included in our discussions, as we work out the details of our own alliance,” Malek answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have agreed to represent the Jaffa in these talks,” Bra’tac added.  “To ensure the benefit of all Jaffa.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weir nodded.  “I’m glad you’re here.  I’ve read about the struggles of the Jaffa under Goa’uld oppression, and hope we can be of assistance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac nodded, and introductions passed for those who hadn’t met previously.  Then, it was down to business.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First, we would like to inform our Tau’ri and Tollan allies of the state of negotiations with the Free Jaffa.  They proceed slowly, though they do proceed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Many Jaffa have already discarded the symbiotes provided them by the Goa’uld in exchange for those harvested from the waters of the Cradle of the Gods,” Bra’tac added.  “They have been practicing the kel’no’reem technique Teal’c has shared with them, to teach these new symbiotes the ways of the Tok’ra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And this is where the negotiations proceed slowly,” Malek replied, voice cold and frustrated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac winced.  “The Jaffa are not ready to accept Tok’ra instructors to teach them how to teach their symbiotes.  Having just gained freedom, they are unwilling to cast it aside so quickly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As we have no interest in them doing so,” Malek said, his tone indicating this path was a well-worn one.  “We only wish to inform your Jaffa what Tok’ra values are, that they may be passed on accurately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bra’tac sighed, also familiar with this terrain.  “It still feels as though we are surrendering to the rule of others again.  I feel your frustration, Malek, but do not press this point at this time, the Jaffa are in no mood to be pressured.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And how long before an agreement can be reached?  It will already take years for the symbiotes to mature, we must ensure this first crop are viable Tok’ra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you said, it will take years for the symbiotes to mature, so we have time to instruct them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weir held up a hand.  “I’m sorry, I’m only passingly familiar with all this, but I’d like to make a proposal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek and Bra’tac looked at her.  “Go on,” Malek said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can understand, intellectually, the reservations on both sides, but I really have no idea what it must be like for each of you emotionally.  If you’ll permit me, I’d like to spend some time with the Free Jaffa, get to know them and understand them, then spend some time with the Tok’ra, and see what common ground is available for negotiations.  If nothing else, if the Jaffa aren’t willing to take instruction from the Tok’ra, then perhaps the Tok’ra could instruct someone the Jaffa would be willing to listen to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And who would this person be?” Bra’tac asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weir shrugged.  “I don’t know, but I think I can find one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek and Bra’tac looked at each other, then nodded.  “I will prepare our camp for your arrival, Dr. Weir, and inform you when you may visit us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weir nodded.  “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omoc leaned forward.  “Do the Tok’ra have a plan for how to provide hosts for these new symbiotes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek shook his head.  “We barely have plans to find hosts for the symbiotes we currently have.  We believe, with the new worlds liberated from Goa’uld oppression by the Tau’ri, we may be able to safely increase our attempts to recruit new humans to our cause, but we do not know how effective our efforts will be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omoc nodded.  “We may be able to assist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some Tollan may be interested in becoming Tok’ra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek blinked in surprise.  “I don’t understand.  You have medical care sufficient to thwart the injuries and illnesses we commonly cure, and have no vested interest in fighting the Goa’uld or exploring the universe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omoc smiled.  “Since some Tau’ri came to live and learn on Tollana, some Tollan, many of the younger generation, have found a new curiosity ignited in them.  Curiosity about many things, including the secrets of the Tok’ra, what it is like to be Tok’ra, the Goa’uld, the war itself.  Many have approached the Curia seeking access, and I have been instructed to broach the subject now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek nodded.  “I have to remind you, becoming Tok’ra is a lifelong commitment.  While we can take hosts temporarily and move on once a new one is available, we will not become a. . . a. . . a diversion for bored youth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Weir nodded.  “Understandable.  But you could invite the curious Tollan here, to work with you, get to know them, show them exactly what they’d be getting into.  If they’re still interested in becoming hosts, maybe you could apprentice them or something to Tok’ra who will need new hosts soon, ensuring host and symbiote will get along.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek looked at Weir.  “That is already our preferred method, though we rarely have the luxury of it.  Yet, what has worked should continue to work.”  He looked at Omoc.  “I’ll bring your request before the Council, and inform you of the decision as soon as it is made.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omoc nodded.  “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before the talks could move forward, a flash of light heralded a new, unexpected arrival.  Malek, Bra’tac, and the Tollan Security officer scrambled for their weapons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thor!” O’Neill called, motioning everyone to relax.  “What beams you to this neck of the woods?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have grave news,” Thor replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is this?” Malek asked urgently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thor, Earth’s good buddy and Supreme Commander of the Asgard.  Thor, everybody.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor nodded at the assembled delegates.  “This concerns the Tok’ra and Jaffa as well, and the Tollan should also find it to be of import.  I recently monitored an attack by Goa’uld forces under the command of Supreme System Lord Apophis against a rival Goa’uld outside the control of the Council of System Lords.  Apophis met this rival with a force of some twenty motherships, including his personal flagship, a vessel far larger and more powerful.  The rival had a force of five Ha’taks arrayed against him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor paused, and everyone exchanged glances.  Finally, Carter cleared her throat.  “I gather, since you’re here telling us about this, the battle didn’t proceed as expected?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An understatement, Major Carter.  Apophis’ force lost ten of its ships, while inflicting no significant damage on their enemy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill whistled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How is that possible?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malek leaned forward.  “We’ve noted this new Goa’uld attacking the forces of the System Lords over the past year or so.  We do not know who it is or where the technology comes from, but whoever they are, they are far more formidable than the System Lords we have dealt with previously.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I gathered many sensor readings during the battle.  All five of the opposing ships had shields and weapons far more powerful than the Goa’uld have exhibited previously.  Further, there were anomalous high-energy readings coming from three of the ships, which further improved their combat capability.  I believe that whoever this new rival is, they not only have the ability to dramatically improve Goa’uld technology, but have access to several of the Eyes of the Goa’uld, artifacts of Ancient origin which can function as power sources of extreme efficiency.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like the Eye of Tiamat?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor nodded.  “That is one of the devices in question.  You are familiar with it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  “We have it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor blinked.  “Impressive.  I would not presume to meddle in your affairs, but I would suggest that learning all you can about this device, how to use it and defend against it, should be a top priority.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zhang nodded.  “I’ll see to it Area 51 move it to the top of their to-do list.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill leaned forward.  “Glad as I am to hear ol’ Apophis got his ass kicked, I’m not sensing a lot of joy in this report.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are correct, O’Neill.  According to my readings, this new Goa’uld would be able to meet a single Asgard vessel in battle with three of these new ships, and have a secure expectation of victory.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stunned silence reigned after Thor’s matter-of-fact pronouncement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” O’Neill began hesitantly.  “What you’re saying is that the Protected Planets are no longer Protected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not as such,” Thor replied.  “We are now forewarned that the Goa’uld are more dangerous than we had anticipated, and will need to respond with our more advanced ships in force to curtail any of their attempts to violate the Treaty.  However, our ability to do so will be greatly dependent on the outcome of our war with the Replicators.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We actually have a thought on that,” Carter said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thor nodded.  “I received your message.  After I am finished here, I will travel to Altair to examine the android Reese and see what insight she might offer against the Replicators.  The Asgard High Council thanks you for your assistance.  However, I have a request to make of SG-1.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Always happy to help,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With the rise of this new, more powerful Goa’uld, we grow concerned over certain interests we have in this galaxy.  The Asgard scientist, Heimdall, runs a research station here in the Milky Way.  This research is critical to the future of the Asgard, and we chose to conduct it here to keep it far from the threat of the Replicators.  But if the Goa’uld are growing strong enough to challenge us, then we wish to move Heimdall and his lab to where we may, as you say, keep a closer eye.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want us to do?” Carter asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To avoid drawing attention, I would request you take one of your Goa’uld cargo ships to retrieve Heimdall and his lab, and transport them to a new planet, where I will retrieve them to return to the Ida galaxy after I have concluded my investigations into the android Reese.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded.  “Sounds easy enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, O’Neill.  The Asgard are, once again, in your debt.”  Thor hesitated.  “Perhaps twice again.  I have transmitted the data I gathered on this new Goa’uld to the SGC, I hope you find it useful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before anyone else could speak, Thor vanished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fascinating,” Omoc breathed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This does not bode well,” Bra’tac said.  “If there is a Goa’uld with power beyond that of the System Lords, our struggle has become yet more difficult.  And dangerous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Tok’ra will not yield to any Goa’uld,” Malek said pointedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nor will the Jaffa,” Bra’tac replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Omoc,” Dr. Weir hopped in.  “Can you spare some Tollan to come to the SGC and look at the data Thor sent?  Together we might be able to find a way to close the tech gap.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Omoc nodded.  “I believe that would be within the bounds of our ethics, and provide assistance to our allies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will send some Tok’ra as well,” Malek added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill stood.  “Well, you kids talk amongst yourselves.  We’ve got places to go, civilizations to save, the usual rigamarole.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Heimdall turned out to be a rather excitable Asgard, his project to reverse genetic degradation brought on by Asgard cloning.  The Asgard transferred their consciousness to new cloned bodies to gain physical immortality, but over thousands of years of making clones of clones, their DNA had begun to break down, sentencing them to a slow extinction.  Ancient Asgard in stasis pods had been discovered from a long lost exploratory vessel, and Heimdall hoped they would provide the key to restoring the Asgard as a viable species.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On Niss Trah, negotiations proceeded, with Dr. Weir relishing this new challenge.  Eventually, all four groups walked away with cautious hope, fearful of the new enemy but willing to believe that together, they would triumph.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Also replacing episode 5.22 “Revelations” and tying some more things together.  I still want SG-1 to be involved in rescuing Heimdall, though there isn’t as much of a time pressure this time around.  Thor’s going to look into Reese and her toys, the Alliance is coming along as smoothly as can be expected, and the Tau’ri are going to figure out that Eye.</p><p>One thing that I feel contributed to X-Com seeming like a Creator’s Pet in XSGCOM was how many SGC characters were changed over to X-Com.  Cam Mitchell, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Zelenka, etc., which is part of why I’m using Enemy Within XCOM for this story, they have their own characters so I don’t need to poach.  However, when the subject of diplomats was raised many chapters ago, Weir was suggested by Spacebattlers (for obvious reasons), and someone else brought up the point that, if XCOM truly is a Multinational Team, they’d need some serious diplomatic work just to keep running day-to-day.  So slotting Weir in with them just felt right, especially since it gave me a new avenue to explore her “I-don’t-really-like-the-military” mindset.  Which is something I feel Atlantis underutilized, though she and Sheppard quickly came to understand each other and have a great mutual respect, the dichotomy of John pushing for military action and Weir insisting on diplomacy never really materialized.</p><p>We’re moving again into a between-season hiatus, so expect a bit more focus on XCOM in the following Chapters, as well as some seriously off-the-rails stuff before we get into Jonas Quinn (who I actually like, sorry if that offends).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Operation Careless Whisper</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which EXALT gets some intel.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Hotel Room</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Colorado Springs, Colorado</b>
</p><p>
  <b>May, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sergeant Ben Reilly lay atop a comfortable bed in a very nice hotel suite, dressed only in a pair of blue jeans, arms crossed behind his head, showing off his hard-earned physique.  The woman in the room with him had shed her dress, though remained in her underwear.  She said it would help sell the deception of why they were meeting, though Ben knew that wasn’t the real reason, since anyone who might be spying on them and able to tell their state of dress would also be able to tell they weren’t doing anything that couldn’t be done whilst fully clothed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, the negotiations aren’t going well?” she asked in her low, sultry, contralto voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben snorted.  “The Tok’ra and Jaffa have all but declared open war on each other.  The Tollan have pretty much decided they’ve gotten what they need already, and are telling us so in their typically passive-aggressive way.”  Ben shrugged as eloquently as he could with his arms behind his head.  “We’re trying to hold it all together, but everyone just wants to go their own way.  I give it a month, maybe two, and Earth will be all alone against the Goa’uld.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman nodded, brushing a lock of dark red hair back behind her ear.  “And can the SGC stand alone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben shrugged again.  “We’ve done okay so far.  Honestly, the Jaffa, Tok’ra, and Tollan have been more trouble than they’re worth.  Only the Asgard have been helpful so far, and it sounds like they’re on the verge of getting finally clobbered by the Replicators.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if the Replicators come after us when they’re done with the Asgard?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I’m not sure about.  We seem to do okay with our stupider approach, but I think we just might get swarmed by numbers.  If that’s the case, then everything else ultimately isn’t going to matter much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman shook her head.  “A problem for another time, then.  How are things going between the SGC and XCOM?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Way I hear it, Hammond’s getting sick of their bull.  We’ve got pretty much everything we need from them to handle the Goa’uld, between laser weapons and Skeleton suits, and I get the impression Hammond and O’Neill are pretty close to telling them to shove off, and don’t let the door hit them on the way out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Funny,” the woman said, leaning forward and propping herself up on her arms, which had a breathtaking effect on her bra-clad cleavage.  “We haven’t heard anything from XCOM about problems with the SGC.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben shrugged again.  “Hey, I can only go with what I hear.  Maybe Hammond and O’Neill are good at hiding it.  Or maybe I’m just wrong.  Happened before, Ms. Whisper.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just Whisper,” the woman replied, looking hard at Ben.  Ben returned the gaze for a few moments before allowing himself to be distracted and his eyeline to drift downwards.  Whisper watched him intently for several more seconds before leaning back.  “Anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben shook his head, slowly letting his eyes work their way back up to her face.  “Then I think we’re done here.”  Whisper stood, retrieving her dress from where she’d draped it over a chair.  “Thank you so much, Sergeant Reilly.  We’ll be in touch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ben got dressed, and left.  Twenty minutes later, the door to the hotel room opened again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’d it go?” Tricker asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not bad,” Whisper replied.  “We can’t corroborate any of it at the moment, since he’s our only agent in the SGC.  He did say something that doesn’t match up with what we’re getting from XCOM.  I think we need to think very carefully before we act on anything he tells us, until we’re sure we can trust him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tricker nodded.  “Agreed, and already being done.”  Tricker retrieved the audio recording from where he already knew it would be.  “You’ll have a full report ready by tonight?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whisper fixed Tricker with a flirtatious smirk.  “Have I ever let you down before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First time for everything,” Tricker replied stoically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whisper let the grin drop, knowing she shouldn’t have bothered.  “I’ll have it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent.  See you then.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“I think she bought almost all of it,” Sergeant Reilly said.  He was sitting in General Hammond’s office, across from the General himself, with Senator Kinsey in the guest chair next to him.  “Though she did seem suspicious when I dropped in the bit about friction between the SGC and XCOM.  We’re already pretty sure they’ve got moles there, I think we need to be a lot more careful about what we try and feed them in that arena.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond nodded.  “It was a risk, Sergeant, but one we felt was necessary to ascertain the scope of EXALT’s network.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s pretty big,” Reilly replied, “but the SGC is a huge blindspot.  Still, we’ll need to step lightly, they’re extremely secretive and paranoid.  We can’t give them a reason to doubt me, both for my sake and the mission.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will.  Thank you again, Sergeant, for agreeing to take this on.  I know it’s way outside your normal responsibilities.”’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reilly smiled.  “My responsibility is to put my life on the line to protect my country and my planet.  No more, no less.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond returned the smile.  “In that case, well done soldier.  Take the rest of the day, we’ll let you know when we have more for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, General,” Reilly replied, standing and walking out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond turned his attention to Kinsey, who was scowling ferociously.  “Alright, what is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> is your top intelligence operative?  Some jarhead?” Kinsey asked derisively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sergeant Reilly came to this command highly recommended, with some of the best marks seen in the Corps. in the last few years and enough decorations to snap a Christmas tree in half.”  Kinsey opened his mouth to speak, but Hammond cut him off.  “He was also briefly host to a Tok’ra operative who has more espionage experience than any ten CIA, NSA, or NID agents put together.  Add to that the fact that you, and most everyone else, sees him as just ‘some jarhead,’ I’d say he’s the right man for the job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey paused a second, then laughed.  “Alright, General, you got me on that one.  Though I still think you should let me ‘recruit’ a few more ‘agents’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond shook his head.  “Not yet, Senator.  We don’t want you to be too successful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now that’s a sentiment I’m very familiar with coming from this command,” Kinsey said coolly, but with a faint smile on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment, Hammond laughed.  “Alright, Senator, you got me on that one,” he replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And how’s XCOM handling all this?” Kinsey asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re giving them what we can, which isn’t much.  Combined with their own operations, they’re putting a picture together.  Zhang, Bradford, and I had a talk, and I’ve agreed that this is XCOM’s fight.  I’ll support them as I can, but it’s become clear EXALT is a worldwide problem, and I just don’t have the jurisdiction to go after them from this chair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Their Commander doesn’t have the authority to go hunting terrorists, either,” Kinsey pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond shrugged.  “Not technically, I gather.  But since EXALT is at the very least hampering XCOM’s efforts against the invaders, if not actually collaborating with them, they could fall under XCOM’s mandate of extraterrestrial threats. . . if you read between the right lines.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if you don’t, the whole world could turn on them for being loose plasma cannons,” Kinsey replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hammond replied.  “We’re walking a razor blade, Senator.  Still sure you made the right choice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey thought for a moment.  “Ask me again,” he finally said, “when it’s all over.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The Skyranger touched down in the snowy field, lowering the landing ramp as soon as the wheels hit the dirt.  Striker and Eureka were on point, as usual, their brand-new heavily-armored Sentinel cybersuits ready to take whatever the enemy could throw at them.  Smokes and Fastlane darted out behind them, seeking cover.  Torres looked at the newest member of his squad, replacing Freestyle, who’d taken over leadership of Strike Three after Shades had been burned down by Muton.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready for this?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette Durand looked up from her seat on the Skyranger, and racked the heat purge on her Scatter Laser.  “I’ve been ready for weeks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres smiled.  “You don’t have to do that,” he said, priming the charging handle on his own Heavy Laser.  “You haven’t shot yet, so there’s no heat to purge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, but there will be,” Annette said ominously, standing and charging out of the Skyranger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, please don’t get yourself killed, </span>
  <em>
    <span>chica</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Delta 2 muttered under his breath before following her out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Annette and Delta 2 moved into cover, they saw the hulk of an Abductor-class UFO looming before them.  Bradford came on their headsets.  “Strike One, approach that ship with caution.  According to Annette, the remaining captives are being held in stasis, but the aliens can shut down life support functions at any moment. The system is controlled by a command console -- if we can take it out, it'll give us a chance to bring those people home safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, you heard the man,” Delta 2 said.  “Striker, Eureka, move up.  Everyone else, keep low and advance by twos.  Annette, you’re with me.  Go first, I’ll cover you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will I get to shoot aliens over there?” Annette asked, darting for a fallen log.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cut the chatter,” Torres snapped, watching the rest of the team advance.  Much as he liked Annette, Torres couldn’t help but harbor deep reservations at having her on his squad.  Her marks were barely passable by XCOM standards, and she took what had been done to her extremely personally, though Torres couldn’t blame her for that.  He worried that she wouldn’t have the discipline to stay out of trouble, or the skill to get herself out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the team moved up, Striker and Eureka getting eyes on a trio of Thin Men who bolted for cover.  At the same time, an alarm began to blare from within the alien craft.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re killing them!” Annette shouted.  “We have to go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay down!” Torres yelled, but Annette bolted forward, drawing fire from two of the Thin Men.  One missed, while the other scored glancing blows on her armor.  Before the more accurate Thin Man could duck back behind the alien machinery, a laser bolt from Fastlane’s rifle boiled its brain away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smokes took a shot at another Thin Man, striking nothing but alien alloys.  Before Delta 2 could close to bring his Heavy Laser in, Striker and Eureka liquidated the last two aliens in that pod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dammit, Annette,” Torres said, squatting behind the same burned-out car she was.  “You have got to be more careful!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m alright,” she replied, showing her arm.  “Just a little scuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if you get hit there again, it’ll melt your arm clear off,” Torres shot back.  “Stay down, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>stick with us</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”  Annette opened her mouth to object.  “</span>
  <b>That’s.  An.  Order.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette closed her mouth and nodded, Delta 2 nodded back.  “Alright, move up, people, time’s a-wasting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another Thin Man dropped in as they entered the Abductor’s main landing bay, and was promptly blown apart by Torres’ Heavy Laser.  They were just approaching the doors into the ship itself when another alien dropped in from the roof.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the bloody hell is that?” Fastlane asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The creature resembled a Muton, though larger and clad in red armor with sharper and more aggressive angles.  It carried no weapon, but its right fist had a wicked-looking claw attached.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever it is, kill it before it gets close!” Delta 2 shouted, laying down a barrage with his Heavy Laser.  Striker and Eureka likewise opened up with their Railguns, Smokes with her Laser Rifle, Fastline with his Laser Sniper Rifle, and Annette with her Scatter Laser.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The large Muton dashed forward, dodging several of the shots, but taking a Railgun round to the chest and two laser blasts to one arm and leg.  To Torres’ astonishment, the raw force of the Railgun impact didn’t even slow the creature down as it charged Eureka, drawing back its clawed fist to rake deep rents in her cybersuit’s armor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“System damage,” Eureka replied, firing up her Kinetic Strike Module.  Softening up the Berserker -- Torres could think of no better name -- with a few rights, Eureka clocked it solidly in the jaw with her rocket-propelled left fist, staggering the beast.  As it shook its head in an all-too-human fashion, Eureka grabbed the thing and pulled it into a full-Nelson hold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Annette!” Torres shouted.  “Zat his ass!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette fumbled, slinging her Scatter Laser and drawing her Zat sidearm, getting it up as Eureka struggled to keep the Berserker pinned.  She fired, the arc of electrical energy making the creature convulse, nearly throwing Eureka aside like a bucking bronco.  She shot two more times, then a third, before the monster finally went limp, Eureka dropping it to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s the suit, Hughes?” Torres asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Armor integrity seventy-two percent,” Eureka replied.  “Servos damaged, strength decrease twenty-eight percent.  Shorts in targeting and grenade launcher actuation circuits, cutoffs engaged.  Shen’s going to be pissed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or giddy,” Striker added.  “The Mark-1 never would have stood up to that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres nodded.  “Alright, Eureka, fall back to rearguard.  Striker, you’re on point.  Let’s move!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Three doors led deeper into the alien ship, two wider ones on either side at ground level, and one narrower one in the middle that immediately ramped upwards.  Torres sent Striker up the middle, while he and Annette took the left, Fastlane and Smokes the right, with Eureka watching Striker’s back.  As Fastlane and Smokes breached their door, two more Thin Men awaited, but were quickly cut down by Fastlane’s new plasma pistol and Smokes’ Laser Rifle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, they came to the Abductor’s central chamber, where the captives were held in stasis, the control console on the far end of the room.  Waiting inside were two more Thin Men and another Berserker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smokes and Fastlane put down the Thin Men quickly with well-placed shots, but the Berserker charged Striker as Torres, Striker, and Eureka all poured fire at it.  As it closed with Striker, Annette lowered her Scatter Laser.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Annette, shoot the damn thing!” Torres shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette extended her hand, surrounded by swirling purple energy, her eyes glowing with the same eldritch light.  “See how you like it,” she growled, and the energy surged toward the Berserker at the speed of thought.  The creature skidded to stop, clutching its head, writhing and bucking in pain before falling to the ground.  Striker prodded it with the tip of his Railgun, but the Berserker was dead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres turned to look at Annette, jaw agape.  Annette looked at him, and shrugged.  “It was easier than shooting it,” she stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the X-Rays cleared, disabling the command console was simple.  The stasis pods opened to reveal their three occupants, siblings Said and Fatima Sadiq and Matthew Hawkins.  Barely conscious and obviously traumatized, Smokes sedated them for transit back to XCOM HQ, where Dr. Vahlen could assess their condition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aboard the Skyranger, the rest of the squad tried hard not to stare at Annette, and Annette tried hard not to notice.  Torres in particular was torn.  Her discipline and skill were still lacking, but if she could kill a Berserker with her mind. . . </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally Torres stood.  “Strike One, listen up.  Our new recruit did pretty damn well today.  Room for improvement, but we all started somewhere.  Anyone got a complaint?”  Silence.  “Alright, then, I think it’s time Ms. Durand got a callsign.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isis!” Fastlane called out immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too confusing for the SGC folks,” Smokes replied.  “How about Wicked?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dingo,” Striker said.  “She’s as ferocious as one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe Rabbit, since I doubt we can get rid of her,” Eureka muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette looked up at the squad.  “I prefer Banshee.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Banshee, huh?” Torres asked, then nodded.  “Alright, Banshee it is!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, lots going on here, let’s dive right in.</p><p>First, the SGC trying to get a Mole into EXALT made perfect sense to me.  In this case, it’s now-Sergeant Benjamin Reilly of SG-3.  Eagle-eyed readers will recall him from a few different chapters, and there’s a reason.  The name may be recognizable to many from elsewhere, I just like it.  Ben Reilly was the name of a GMPC I played in an SG-1 RPG I ran for a small group of friends, a Marine Sniper who was also blended with a Tok’ra.  Interestingly, he and the symbiote, Mapep, have entries in the SG-1 wiki, because I wrote “Wormhole Physics 101” (originally titled “For Dummies,” but that’s trademarked) for the RPG boards to handle some questions about how the Stargate worked, and AEG submitted it to MGM for canon approval.  Not anticipating that, I had Carter (who “actually” wrote the paper in-universe) give a shout-out to my RPG character, because you do that sort of thing when you’re just writing for an RPG board to address a bunch of headscratchers.  I had no idea it would ever get canon approval, or that my characters would be referenced by it.  So, that’s kinda cool.  Anyway, Ben and Mapep have both made separate appearances; for the sake of this fic, they were only blended briefly and Mapep’s taken on a new host to stay with the Tok’ra, while Ben is still a Marine with the SGC, SG-3 at the moment.  So, for reasons described, Sergeant Reilly is a great choice to be the SGC’s mole in EXALT.</p><p>And we get to meet a new EXALT operative, Whisper.  I kinda grappled with the name for a long time before that one hit me, and I think it’s just perfect.  Of course, she’s using her sex appeal to try and keep Ben off-balance, but he’s not quite dumb enough to fall for that, but smart enough to make it look like he is.</p><p>Then we hop into Furies, and Annette’s first action as an XCOM operative.  Annette’s class is randomly assigned in-game, but I think Assault really fits her personality, she’s just a tad Ax-Crazy when it comes to the aliens.  Her and Torres both have a personal stake in the fight against the Ethereals, which gives me some interesting things to play off of.  Torres was a military man before the tutorial, so he’s disciplined and professional enough not to let his feelings get in the way of the mission (usually).  Annette’s a civilian, and has suffered a lot more at the hands of the X-Rays, including having a piece of her brain permanently burned out by their use of her.  Torres understands her state of mind better than most. . . even though a lot of other XCOM operatives have lost friends in action, Torres has been in this fight since day one, he’s seen and done the most.  He appreciates Annette’s drive for revenge, but also worries about her lack of discipline on the field, and has deep concerns over how dangerous she could be to allies as well as enemies.  I’m hoping to get more into their relationship and Annette’s past, though I don’t know how much opportunity I’ll have.</p><p>Finally, the rescue of the Furies.  I never really used them in my games, mostly because I’d gotten attached to one or two key squads whose lineups didn’t really shift much by the time I’d gotten them.  I don’t know that I have anything meaningful for them to contribute in this story, but we’ll see.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Levelling The Plane Field</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Christmas comes early, new toys for everyone!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Area 51</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Nevada, USA</b>
</p><p>
  <b>June, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cameron Mitchell pushed the fighter through a negative-G loop that would have given him a brain aneurysm if not for the inertial dampers.  Instead, he only felt a slight downward movement.  Pulling out of the diving loop, he rolled left, then right, then inverted the craft and flew upside-down for two kilometers before flipping back over.  Never did he feel more than the slightest pull from any of his maneuvers or the force of Earth’s gravity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Flight, Lasher One,  inertial dampers are check, gravity engine working beautifully,” Mitchell reported.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lasher One, Flight, copy.  Commence emergency engine-switch test.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Flight, Lasher One, copy.  Commencing emergency engine-switch test.”  Cameron swallowed, then lifted the bright red cover on a metal switch labelled with the obtuse code of GEAB.  Steeling himself, he flicked the switch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The gravity engine cut out immediately, but the craft barely lurched before the air-breathing jets kicked in, maintaining his speed, altitude, and most importantly, lift.  Mitchell breathed a sigh of relief.  “Flight, Lasher One, engine switch successful.  Gravity engine off, jets on, barely a bump.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The relief was plain even over radio transmission as Flight responded.  “Lasher One, Flight, we copy that.  Re-engage gravity engine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Flight, Lasher One, copy.  Re-engaging gravity engine.”  Not using the emergency switch this time, Mitchell switched over using regular, safer, procedures.  This time, the fighter didn’t even shudder as the changeover occurred.  “Flight, Lasher One.  Gravity drive engaged, jets on standby.  No alarms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lasher One, Flight, copy.  Take her up to forty-thousand kilometers and we’ll test the rocket.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Flight, Lasher one, copy.  Taking her up.”  Cameron Mitchell settled into the cockpit, getting as comfortable as he could.  There were a lot of things to test on the X-302, he was going to be here awhile.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>SG-1, with Jonas Quinn tagging along, arrived at the X-302’s test hangar at Area 51.  Everything they’d tested had worked perfectly, and they’d tested almost every system in the multimillion dollar fighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s impressive,” Jonas said, leaning over to get a better look at the engines.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Teal’c replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want one,” Kelly added, earning her a few odd looks. Piloting wasn’t in her skill repertoire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As a lawn ornament?” O’Neill asked as he and Teal’c began inspecting the craft, with the Colonel even sitting down in the pilot chair to get a feel for the cockpit.  Carter turned as Doctor Larry Murphy, a USAF Captain, approached.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you’d want to see it as soon as possible,” Murphy said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded and a confused smile crossed her face.  “We do, thanks.  But I thought you were supposed to be done months ago?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murphy shrugged.  “Dr. Vahlen and Dr. Shen figured out the invader plasma weapons, but they were backlogged adapting and designing personal weapons for XCOM.  Since they’ve got Fusion Lances for their Firestorms, the plasma cannons the invaders use were a low priority for them, so they transferred their research here.  We put the 302 on hold while we got that sorted, then finished with a plasma cannon built-in, instead of a laser, but with the option to switch it out later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded and turned back to the 302.  “Makes sense.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s got phasers?” O’Neill asked from the cockpit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Phased plasma energy beam cannon,” Murphy corrected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill turned his blank look to Carter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a phaser, sir, but the same kind of energy weapon the invaders use on their smaller UFOs.  If the comparisons between invader and Goa’uld weaponry stay true, it’s about as powerful as the staff cannons on a Death Glider, but more focused and designed to burn through targets rather than explode on impact.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool,” O’Neill replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas climbed up the ladder next to the ship to stand on top of the fuselage, surveying it with an expression of amused wonder.  “I heard the test flight went well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dr. Murphy nodded.  “Exceptionally well.  Better than we’d anticipated, even.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill leaned out of the cockpit.  “Hear that, Teal’c?  We’re off the hook.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is a completely different craft from the X-301.  It’s entirely Earth-made and designed,” Murphy explained with a theatrical sigh.  “We did learn a lot about the relevant technology from both the Goa’uld and the invaders, but every nut, bolt, wire, panel, and screw was manufactured here on Earth.  Even the engines.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Engines?” Jonas asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The 302 has four engines.  A gravity drive based on Goa’uld and invader propulsion systems, air-breathing jets for atmospheric propulsion should the gravity drive fail, and a rocket booster for vacuum propulsion in the event of same.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said four,” Jonas replied, holding up his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter answered.  “The fourth is a hyperspace window generator.  If it works, the X-302 will be the first human-built craft capable of interstellar flight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even Goa’uld Gliders do not possess such capability,” Teal’c replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s because their version of the generator is too big,” Carter said.  “With access to elerium, we can make a much smaller version of the drive that fits in the 302’s airframe.”  Carter frowned.  “Unfortunately, XCOM won’t free up the amount of elerium we’d need for mass-production.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t,” Kelly said.  “We’ve only got four kilos of the stuff, and three of them are earmarked for plasma weapons and power armor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded, still frowning; the argument a familiar one.  “I’m thinking we might be able to adapt the engine to run on naquadriah instead of elerium, but I’ve only done some preliminary figures.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not sure that’s a good idea, Major,” Jonas said, hopping down from the 302.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’ve been working with Dr. Shen and Dr. Vahlen on naquadriah.  Dr. Vahlen had the idea that maybe naquadriah is an intermediate phase between regular naquadah and elerium, and the crystalline appearance of elerium might be a result of stabilizing the radioactivity and energy output of naquadriah.  But if that’s the case, we haven’t figured out the catalyst for it yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter shrugged.  “So?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, naquadriah is inherently unstable, it’s part of why my people were looking into harnessing its explosive power.  While naquadriah has the potential to put out the same amounts of energy as elerium, Dr. Shen and I discovered that the instability of the naquadriah increases relative to the amount of energy you try and extract from it.  For an application where the energy density of elerium is necessary, the instability of naquadriah creates. . . problems.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of problems?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, at best, you get an unstable and intermittent energy output.  I don’t know anything about hyperspace window generators, but I can’t imagine you’d want power fluctuations when making one.  And, if the naquadriah gets too unstable, the reactor could explode.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded, then squinted at Jonas.  “And why haven’t Shen and Vahlen presented their findings to the SGC?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we’re still running tests.  You know, Vahlen has these things, she calls them computers, that can model the behavior of naquadriah under a host of different circumstances.  Shen wants to actually try and build a naquadriah reactor and see what he can get out of it, but I don’t think the Commander is going to let him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter nodded.  She’d have to get in touch with Shen, and see if there was anything salvageable from Jonas’ naquadriah.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the meantime, Dr. Murphy had moved over to Jack, Teal’c, and Kelly, who were discussing the 302’s weapons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The plasma cannon works fine, and should take out Death Gliders and smaller invader craft reliably.  We think it can score damage on larger invader and Goa’uld vessels, but we’re not sure.  We’d like to run some tests with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> and see how her shields hold up against our weapons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll talk to Hammond,” O’Neill promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murphy nodded in acknowledgment. “In addition, it’ll have four modified AIM-120A air-to-air missiles.  The idea is to have two naquadah-enhanced warheads for use against large ships, and two regular warheads for use against smaller craft.  All modified to function in space as well as atmosphere, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we’re shipping them up to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murphy nodded.  “Once the prototype passes all flight tests and safety checks, we’ll begin mass production.  We expect to have two full squadrons stationed on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> by October at the latest, and if manufacturing goes well enough, we’ll ship surplus 302’s to US airbases all over the globe to assist in intercepting invader attacks.  The 302 has XCOM’s gravity-wave sensors to pick up cloaked invader craft.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would not delivering these craft to other nations expose the existence of the Stargate?” Teal’c asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murphy shook his head.  “Not if we do it right.  People already know we’re reclaiming technology and materials from the invaders, they just don’t know how much or what we’re really learning from them.  Other nations are putting projects in place to close the tech gap between their forces and the aliens, building laser weapons and armor based on alien alloys.  XCOM and the SGC control the materials they need, but we keep all the top secret stuff classified, and no one has to know where it all came from.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O’Neill nodded, still seeing several ways this could all go horribly wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Plus,” Murphy added.  “Once we have enough 302s and Firestorms placed on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> and across the planet to fly CAP in the outer solar system, we’ll be able to safely test out some of the asteroid mining tools and techniques NASA’s been working on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“CAP?” Jonas asked, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Combat Air Patrol,” O’Neill, Carter, Kelly, and Murphy replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Though I suppose we’ll need a new acronym, we can’t call it an air patrol in space,” Murphy mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter shook her head.  “I don’t think so.  We call it a Combat Aerospace Patrol, since both 302s and Firestorms are aeronautic and astronautic assets.  Then we can keep the acronym.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Raymond Shen sat at his personal workbench, where an adjustable armature kept the device he was working on perfectly steady at exactly the right height for him to work comfortably and efficiently.  He soldered the last few connections together, surveyed the interior for anything he’d missed for the fourth time.  He then closed the alien alloy casing -- </span>
  <em>
    <span>we have to think of a better name</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he mused -- and dogged it tight with screws.  Finally, he turned to Delta 2, who’d been patiently watching him work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what do you think?” Shen asked, standing and wincing only slightly as his knees twinged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A work of art, Doc,” Torres replied.  “May I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please do, that’s why I asked you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping forward, Torres delicately picked up the plasma rifle, running a hand over the boxy yet elegant lines.  Gripping the handle, he tested the weight, found it noticeably heavier than the ballistic or laser weapons, but not excessive.  Bringing it into a firing stance, maintaining trigger safety through years of experience and drill, he checked the stock, sights, and ergonomics, finding them quite satisfactory.  “Like I said, Doc, a work of art.  What’s the ammo cap?” Torres asked, twisting the weapon around to present-arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shen smiled and nodded.  “With a liquid naquadah battery, five-hundred shots.  I’m glad it meets with your approval.  I’ll have the engineering staff begin mass fabrication immediately.  Once Vahlen finishes up her projects, we’ll have a whole new range of weapons for you and the rest of the troops.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What else is she working on?” Torres asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Improved focusing and beam attenuation for a plasma sniper rifle and extra heat baffling and rapid ionization for a heavy plasma.  We have a working particle cannon for our MEC troopers, and I’m adapting the magnetic weapons we developed for the SGC to create a shotgun that fires pellets made from the alien alloys.”  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes, definitely need a new name, now that we’re making them ourselves.</span>
  </em>
  <span>  “All that should start rolling out of here over the course of the next month.  Area 51 is already producing plasma cannons to equip their X-302, and the eventual production model fighter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The field’s getting more even all the time,” Delta 2 noted with a grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, indeed it is.”  Shen was glad Torres was happy with the new weapons, but couldn’t help feeling no small amount of trepidation.  All this new tech was necessary to defeat the invaders, to protect Earth both from the threat already at their door and the ones farther out who still looked to it with greedy, hateful, or frightened eyes.  Yet Shen couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when the invaders were defeated, when Earth was secure against the threats of Goa’uld and Replicators and whatever else was out there.  Shen had created weapons of such devastating power, and was deeply concerned humanity wasn’t responsible enough to use the power he was giving them wisely.  Would he and Vahlen go down in history as father and mother of a new technological revolution on Earth, paving their way to a bright future, or as the openers of Pandora’s Box, unleashing a whole new scale of evil into the world which would ultimately consume it?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder if Prometheus had similar concerns when he gave us fire,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Shen thought.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, I’d established earlier the X-302 would get out the door earlier than in canon, thanks to all the Death Gliders from Cronus’ mothership they got to pull apart and study.  However, I messed up in not realizing that the hiatus between Season 5 and 6 of SG-1 was only a month apart, probably due to the Channel Hop from Showtime to Sci-Fi.  So, I had to handwave away that they’re actually running behind on the X-302, thankfully Plasma Weapons gave me an excuse.</p><p>Cameron Mitchell was tapped for the 302 program, so it made sense to me he’d be the test pilot.</p><p>Finally, I’ve been a bit disappointed by just giving XCOM new tech as the timeline advances and I decided they’ve completed various research and foundry projects.  So here we have Shen personally putting the finishing touches on XCOM’s first human-made plasma rifle (I like the idea that Shen builds the first prototype of most things personally by hand, to make sure it’s done right), to show that these weapons are now available and will be getting phased into the story over the next few chapters.  And Shen waxing philosophical about what all this means, what the future holds when humans have pistols that core out main battle tanks (seriously, people on TvTropes observe that on “Military Depot” maps, stray shots from sectoids can make the parked tanks explode).  I probably won’t cover much of the aftermath of the war, but anyone who’s seen Pacific Rim:  Uprising can probably guess how I’m thinking it goes.</p><p>And also. . . I’m sick and tired of calling them “Alien Alloys,” especially now that XCOM and the SGC can make them.  My first thought was Promethium, but aside from being a Warhammer 40k reference, there’s also a fair bit of Prometheus imagery involved already.  And “Asgardium” just sounds dumb.  Thoughts?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Don't Lose Your Head</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Annette literally scares the piss out of people (and I mean literally, not saying "literally" and meaning "figuratively").</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>EXALT Cell</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Budapest, Hungary</b>
</p><p>
  <b>June, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natasha Belova eased a bit farther back into the paltry cover provided by a rolling toolbox, her plasma pistol clenched tight in sweaty hands.  EXALT had discovered her tap on their data network and were now combing the area looking for her and her equipment.  She’d managed to squeeze off a distress call to XCOM HQ before they brought in their electronic surveillance equipment, but she had no idea if it had gotten through or if XCOM would respond in time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Voices, moving closer, garbled by EXALT’s communications encrypt.  Patent leather dress shoes clicked on pavement.  Knockoff laser weapons clicked against knockoff carapace vests.  Moments away from being exposed, Natasha tightened the grip on her plasma pistol, preparing to spring out firing, taking some of the bastards with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Engines roared from overhead, and Natasha knew only one aircraft whose engines sounded like that.  The EXALT forces recognized it, too, abandoning their search and falling back to defensible positions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aboard the Skyranger, Delta 2 watched the light turn red and the door open with clenched jaw.  This was their first big lead on EXALT, the first time they’d had access to their raw data network, and Torres wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip away.  Every resource spent fighting EXALT was one they weren’t using to fight the real enemies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Strike One launched themselves out of the Skyranger, hitting the ground with weapons ready.  A three-man fireteam of EXALT operatives, two armed with laser rifles and one with a heavy laser, advanced on the XCOM squad, their weapons spitting deadly red lines of light.  Strike One rushed for cover, laying down fire with their own plasma weapons, cutting the EXALT team to pieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Belova moving up from your left flank, don’t shoot,” Natasha said over her secured comm line, moving to rendezvous with Strike One.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite a party you invited us to,” Torres replied as the redheaded Russian ducked behind a picnic table beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s more on the way,” she replied.  “Nine or twelve in teams of three.  They’re trying to find the encoder and transmitter I’m using to hack their net.  Keep them away from that equipment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem,” Torres replied.  “Striker, Eureka, take position,” he ordered, pointing to an open area that would give the two MEC Troopers a wide field of fire for their heavy guns.  “Fastlane, up high,” Torres motioned to the roof of the garage Belova had been hiding in.  “Everyone else, with me.”  Strike One broke for their positions, Torres leading the bulk of the squad to cover the laptop busily decoding EXALT’s files.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More EXALT operatives rushed at them, but their equipment and sense of tactics were no match for the superior firepower and coordination of the XCOM team.  Singly and in pairs, the operatives were burned down by XCOM’s weapons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re falling back,” Belova announced as the gun fire died down a bit.  “A few more are gathering for a final push, but most of the cell is rabbiting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last of the EXALT forces charged into the area, five men in two pairs, the last on his own.  They ducked and dodged XCOM’s cover fire, dropping down into whatever meager protection they could find and answering back with their own lasers.  The loner, a support-type with a laser rifle, scored a glancing hit on Annette’s armor.  As red bolts of light and green bursts of plasma shot through the air, Annette charged at the offending operative, taking two more hits as the whole EXALT squad focused on her.  The loner stepped out from behind his trash can cover, shouldering his rifle and taking careful aim at Annette’s chin.  But before he could line up his shot, Annette plowed into him, bowling him over with raw speed and mass, her bulky armor compensating for her slender frame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette straddled the man, her brand-new Alloy Cannon forgotten as she knocked his arms aside and began ferociously punching him in the face.  “See!  How!  You!  Like!  It!” Annette cried, the viciousness of her attack denying her victim any hope of defense.  The man’s face was already a mask of blood, but Annette kept pounding, screaming and cursing in French.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Annette!  Stand down!” Torres shouted, gunning down the last approaching EXALT and rushing towards Annette.  The man was no longer moving, stunned or completely concussed from Annette’s brutal assault.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette grabbed the man’s armor vest, hauled him up to look in his eyes, and screamed a scream of sheer rage, hate, and suffering, her face mere inches from his.  Purple energy boiled from her eyes, and her scream reached a pitch the XCOM troops could no longer hear, but still feel, their very bones vibrating in time with the raw power of Annette’s rage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The EXALT operative’s head exploded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette dropped the man to the pavement and stood, panting heavily, her face and armor covered in gore.  The rest of the squad simply stared in shock and disbelief.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Back at the XCOM base, Torres found Annette in the bar, tipping back a bottle of whiskey, no glass. The place was empty, aside from them and the bored looking bartender, who was reading in a corner -- unsurprising, considering the local time.  Torres parked himself on the stool next to her.  “Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” Annette snapped, taking another drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres nodded.  “Okay.  Let’s try that again.  You literally made some of the toughest hombres I’ve ever known soil themselves in terror.  Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette turned to glare at Torres.  “You have no idea what they did to me,” she said coldly.  “How much I hurt, all the time, deep in my head, because of them.  What they made me do.  I don’t know if it’s worse to not remember, or to remember the small pieces I do.  So yes, I went a little overboard, but it’s no more than they deserve, no?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres shook his head.  “Hey, I’m not saying don’t pop EXALT heads.  They absolutely deserve it.  But you went way outside combat discipline and protocol out there.  You could have endangered the rest of the squad, cost us the mission, cost us the intel, cost us a lot of innocent lives.  So I need to know, right now and for true, can you keep your head in the field?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if I can’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres sighed.  “Then I’ll take it to the Commander and have you benched until you can.  My first squad did everything by the book at first contact, and I was the only one who walked away.”  He fixed Annette with a completely serious, stone-cold officer look.  “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> let you cost me another squad because you’re too good to follow orders and keep your damn cool.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette glared at Torres, and Torres glared right back, not budging an inch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Annette looked away, sighing.  “I don’t know,” she replied.  “Honestly.  I have so much hate for them, I want to make them all suffer.  More than I have.  I want to watch them all burn and dance on their graves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing wrong with that,” Torres replied.  “But you have to channel it, you have to stay focused.  Otherwise, you’re only going to get people killed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how,” Annette said morosely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres nodded.  “Are you willing to learn?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annette looked back up at him questioningly.  “How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres smiled.  “I didn’t pop out of my momma the consummate professional military man you see before you.  I was trained, like all soldiers are.  If you’re willing to learn, we can teach you.  But you have to be willing to learn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it means killing more aliens, I’ll learn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Torres nodded.  “Good.  Start by corking that bottle, soldier.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, this is a little shorter than I’d intended, but oh well.  EXALT missions are pretty much filler until you get to their main base, and I have the advantage of having a lot of the war against them able to be behind-the-scenes, since I don’t have to fit in the context of deploying a six-person squad to shoot things.  This is probably the last we’ll see of EXALT soldiers until the raid on their HQ.</p><p>Yeah, Annette went full Scanners on that guy.  I wanted to touch upon some of the stuff she’s dealing with, and open the door for her to become a better soldier as the story progresses.</p><p>I’ve got some exciting things planned for upcoming chapters, soon we’ll be moving into Season 6, so there’s some stuff there to look forward to.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Jonas Quinn And The Secret Of Chambers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Jonas does stuff.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Stargate Command</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, USA</b>
</p><p>
  <b>June, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is it just me,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Daniel Jackson thought as he stepped through the Stargate into the SGC, </span>
  <em>
    <span>or do the guards look a little more tense than usual?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>As the Stargate shut down, General Hammond, also looking unusually ruffled, entered the Gate Room.  “Welcome back, Doctor Jackson,” Hammond said, the slightest hesitation evident in his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Daniel replied.  “Good to be here.  What was it you wanted to see me about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not me,” Hammond said, motioning as Jack O’Neill entered, accompanied by another man Daniel didn’t recognize.  “This is Jonas Quinn, he’s from a world we explored through the Stargate not long ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas, smiling, stepped up and shook Daniel’s hand.  “A pleasure to see you again, Doctor Jackson.  Well, not you again, we actually haven’t met, but I met Doctor Jackson, by which I mean the other Doctor Jackson. . . this is very confusing, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel waved the comment away.  “It takes some getting used to.  Honestly, I’m still kind of adjusting myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas nodded.  “Is there something you’d prefer I call you, to avoid confusion?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I like ‘Danny Bot’ myself,” O’Neill said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The android Doctor Jackson didn’t cringe, but it was a near thing.  “Yeah, don’t call me that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas nodded.  “Alright.  Well, then, Android Doctor Jackson, I wanted to go over some of Doctor Jackson’s notes with you, see if I’m really seeing what I think I’m seeing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Daniel said, following Jonas as he turned to exit the Gate Room.  “But why me, and not the. . . other me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas turned.  “I’m sorry, I forgot you didn’t know.  On my planet, while SG-1 was visiting, there was an accident.  Doctor Jackson stopped it from turning into a complete disaster, but he absorbed a fatal dose of radiation in the process.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel blinked.  “Wait, I’m dead?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jury’s out,” Jack answered from behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We think that Doctor Jackson managed to Ascend with the help of Oma Desala just prior to dying,” Jonas elaborated.  “But honestly, no one’s seen or heard from him since, so we’re just not sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel nodded slowly.  “Well, good for him, then.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“So, we know from Thor that Anubis has some of the Eyes of the Goa’uld,” Jonas said, entering Daniel’s old office with Android Daniel and O’Neill in tow.  He displayed several of Daniel’s old notebooks, which he had left open on the desk.  “Since then, I’ve been combing Doctor Jackson’s research for anything that might lead us to other Eyes before Anubis gets them.  Now, in his journals from the time between the first and second Abydos missions, there are extensive notes on the catacombs beneath the pyramid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel didn’t bother looking at the notes; to his android brain, they were as fresh as if he’d just written them.  “There are a lot of writings on walls down there, concealed from the Abydonians themselves, to support Ra’s outlawing of reading and writing among the people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas nodded.  “There’s a section of hieroglyphs here, that talk about the power of Ra and the size of his domain--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Big domain?” Jack asked innocently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas shrugged.  “Nearby sections do mention the Eye of Ra in the context of it being a symbol of protection for Ra’s servants and followers.  Now that we know the Eyes are real, I’m convinced these are actual references to the Eye of Ra as one of the artifacts Anubis is hunting for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel nodded.  “Plausible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Encouraged, Jonas continued.  “Now, from the map of Stargate addresses, we can infer that Abydos was some kind of secret lair for Ra, a place where he kept his most valuable possessions away from the other Goa’uld.  He controlled the other Goa’uld by controlling their access to planets via the Stargate, and that map only existed on Abydos, where the other Goa’uld weren’t aware of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apophis found it,” O’Neill noted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas nodded.  “Yes, but the address to Abydos was in Earth’s dialing computer when Apophis came here.  In fact, it was the only address in our dialing computer.  Apophis must have seen it, since he would have had to use Earth’s dialing computer to return to Chulak after his raid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We led him there,” Daniel concluded, subtly horrified.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas nodded.  “Thankfully, Apophis didn’t realize the significance of what he’d stumbled on.  Now, given all of this, I’m convinced the Eye of Ra is somewhere on Abydos.  So, Android Doctor Jackson. . . did you, or the other you, find anything like it while you were living there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel shrugged.  “What’s it look like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas turned to Daniel’s computer, and brought up images of the Eye of Tiamat.  “This is the Eye of Tiamat, which SG-1 recovered last year from a temple of Marduk on P2X-338.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel looked at the picture, then shook his head.  “No, there was nothing like that anywhere in the places I remember the other me exploring on Abydos.”  As Jonas frowned, Daniel picked up one of his old journals and flipped through it.  “But we did always suspect there was a secret chamber somewhere in this room.”  He handed the journal to Jonas, who took it, looking over the handwritten passage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm.  The writings talk about Ra drawing his power from the sun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel nodded.  “There was a jewel, like a ruby, embedded in the wall beneath a depiction of the rays of the sun, that always struck me -- or, him -- as important, somehow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas smiled.  “So, you think I’m on to something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel nodded again.  “I do.  The logic is sound, no obvious holes overlooked.  It’s a solid hypothesis.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas’ grin widened, and he turned to Jack.  “Colonel O’Neill, I’d like to present these findings to. . . uh. . . who do I present findings to here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be General Hammond and myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like to present these findings to General Hammond and yourself as soon as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack looked at Jonas, then Daniel, then back to Jonas.  He crossed the room, grabbed the phone off the wall, and dialed.  “General?  Jonas would schedule a meeting ASAP.  He’s got something.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Though Daniel had read the reports the SGC routinely sent to Altair, to keep Harlan’s growing robot family informed, it was startling to see for himself how Abydos had changed from the way he remembered it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Major Carter pointed out the most obvious difference.  “Six of XCOM’s Hover SHIVs guard the ‘Gate constantly.  Naquadah reactors give them, for all practical purposes, unlimited operational time.  The DHD doesn’t have the functionality to use an iris like Earth, and Abydos just doesn’t have the infrastructure to support a dialing computer like ours.  Fortunately, it seems most of the other Goa’uld aren’t even aware of Abydos, let alone consider it a target worth attacking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they made their way towards the catacombs beneath the pyramid, Carter continued.  “But the Abydonians are more than willing to fight for their home.  We’ve had teams instructing them in combat tactics and weapons usage, and we’ve supplied them with XCOM’s L2 laser weapons, made with Jaxanite we’re getting from our orbital foundry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel paused.  “Jaxanite?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonas nodded.  “It’s what we’re calling the naquadah-trinium-carbon alloy the invaders use, the one the Asgard helped us learn how to make.  XCOM and the SGC voted on a name other than ‘alien alloy.’  Vahlenite and Shensteel were the frontrunners for awhile, but there was a sudden surge of popularity for naming it in honor of Doctor Jackson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t know anything about that, do we, Teal’c?” O’Neill asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Indeed we do not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They left the pyramid briefly, so Jack and Kelly could inform the Abydonians and SGC personnel why they were here.  Daniel, Jonas, Carter, and Teal’c watched a group of Abydonian boys hitting a basketball through the sand at each other with baseball bats.  The rumble of mining equipment could be heard, and in the distance the solar farm set up to power the equipment glittered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re getting the Abydonians used to working with modern mining equipment,” Carter explained.  “It’s slow going, but the mine is already twenty percent above our most optimistic projections.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daniel nodded.  “Well, they do know how to mine.  It’s all they ever did before we -- that is, you came along.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re offering medical and agricultural techniques and technology in exchange for the naquadah ore,” Carter continued.  “So far, it seems to be working out, though they were awfully confused by our safety and hazard procedures and insistence on a forty-hour work week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Down in the catacombs, Daniel and Jonas led the team to the chamber where Daniel always suspected a secret chamber to reside.  A suspiciously door-like structure in the center of the wall was flanked by hieroglyphs.  The door itself had a jewel in the center, an eye of Ra symbol around it, and surrounded by a cartouche with more writing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack and Teal’c watched, bored, as Jonas, Daniel, and Carter started working on the puzzle.  Realizing “the rays of the sun reveal all,” written in the cartouche, was a clue, experiments with flashlights and magnifying glasses ensued, before Jonas realized the image of the sun at the top of the door had red rays of light shining down towards the jewel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>XCOM’s laser weapons had a “sight” setting, a simple switch one could flip on the side.  When on, touching the trigger caused the laser to emit a low-power beam that served as a traditional laser sight, and pulling the trigger unleashed the weapon’s full power on whatever the beam shone upon.  Carter aimed her sighting laser at the jewel, and the door ground slowly open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the door was not Ra’s last line of defense for his most sacred treasure.  The room contained many impressive artworks and baubles of precious metal and gems, but no Eye of Ra.  Daniel began sounding the walls, looking for a secret compartment hidden within the secret chamber.  He found it, a thin stone wall over a small hollow.  Breaking it open with his bare robotic fists, Daniel retrieved the Eye of Ra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Returning to Earth, the Eye was forwarded to Area 51, where the Eye of Tiamat was already being studied.  Researchers were confident that, once they had figured out how to properly install it, one of the Eyes would double the power available to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s shield and weapon systems.  The engineers working on the X-303 began working on ways to tie the Eye of Ra into its systems for a similar advantage.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>In a place that was not a place, the one who used to be Daniel Jackson expressed what would be a smile, if he still had what could be construed as a face.  A subtle nudge here, a bit of encouragement there -- far less than Oma had given him -- had easily led Jonas down the right path.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two of the Eyes were out of Anubis’ reach.  Daniel metaphysically shuddered to think what Anubis would have done had he obtained all six.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, here’s a very interesting case of butterfly effect.  Because Tanith didn’t escape, Apophis didn’t get blown up, instead becoming Supreme System Lord.  With Apophis as Supreme System Lord, Anubis has to direct much more of his attention at the other Goa’uld, since at this stage of the game he has very limited resources to work with despite his technological edge.  As a result, he doesn’t pick a fight with the Asgard and kidnap Thor, so Thor is free to observe a battle between Anubis and Apophis, and realize not only does Anubis have a technological advantage, but three of the Eyes of the Goa’uld.  Thus, Earth is made aware of the potential of the Eyes much earlier than they were in canon, resulting in Jonas following clues Doctor Jackson didn’t even realize he had to locate the Eye of Ra at the start of Season 6 rather than the end.  With a gentle nudge, of course.</p><p>Also, because of the conflict between Anubis and Apophis, Redemption (which this partly replaces) doesn’t happen remotely the same way.  But that episode is critical to Jonas gaining a spot on SG-1; he helps Carter and Jack with their respective Eureka Moments that allow Earth to be saved from the exploding Stargate.  So this chapter gives Jonas a chance to impress O’Neill, still landing the open slot in SG-1’s roster.</p><p>I also wanted to show a bit of the state of Abydos at this time, with closer ties to Earth, and how the mining operation is actually going.  It made sense to me that the Tau’ri would bring toys and sports stuff with them, but the Abydonians would find their own creative uses for some of it.</p><p>Abydos being Ra’s “secret hideaway” for important things is a bit of fanon that I particularly like, so I’m using it.  Also, a commonly-cited (and incorrect) “plot hole” in SG-1 is that the pilot features two-way travel via Stargate, when it’s established in the film and the rest of the series that it’s impossible.  Actually, you can see the Stargate shut down right after Apophis and his Jaffa arrive, and hear the ‘Gate dialing out before General Hammond and reinforcements arrive.  So it’s plain Apophis did dial out, the only question is how, and it seems obvious to me he used Earth’s dialing computer.  As to how he could access it and why Chulak’s address wasn’t in the dialing computer courtesy of Apophis. . . well, the Stargate program, initially, was implied to be a civilian scientific endeavor with military oversight, not a strictly military operation, so the civilians may not have had any kind of encryption or login protection on the computers.  The computer not storing the address Apophis dialed. . . yeah, I got nothing.</p><p>And yes, the Alien Alloys now have a human name.  I appreciate all the suggestions, but “Jacksonite” hit me as being perfect.  I altered the spelling to make it a bit shorter to type (and for funsies) but still retain the sound.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. No Boom Today, Boom Tomorrow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which we check back in with our favorite slimy, boombox-voiced snake-in-the-heads.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>In Orbit</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Goa’uld-held World</b>
</p><p>
  <b>June, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three of Apophis’ worlds had been destroyed.  Not attacked, not conquered, not even blasted from orbit, but shattered into asteroids slowly drifting into a stable belt around their home stars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis didn’t show it in front of his Jaffa, and certainly not among the other System Lords, but the implications of this terrified him down to the soles of his boots.  To have the ability to destroy habitable planets was frightening enough, but to be willing to actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>use</span>
  </em>
  <span> such weapons. . . </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was unspeakable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only thing that was certain was that, hours before being destroyed, each world had been contacted via Stargate.  Nothing had emerged, the Stargate had never shut down, and then the planet had ceased to be.  It made no sense, but Ba’al had an idea, as he always did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When a fourth world held by Apophis had its Stargate mysteriously activate, the System Lords began dialing worlds they knew the addresses to, but which were claimed by none.  One world repeatedly refused connection.  It was there, Ba’al believed, they would find whatever weapon had been turned against them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All ships from all the System Lords who could reach this world in a reasonable timeframe departed immediately, modulating their speed to arrive simultaneously.  A day later, nearly 100 ships appeared over the planet, led by Apophis’ flagship.  The viewscreen wavered from the view of the planet and its paltry defending force to show the cloaked figure of the mysterious Goa’uld.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you seek to challenge me again, Apophis,” Anubis said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have destroyed entire planets!” Apophis shot back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I have,” Anubis answered with cold amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?  How and why have you done such a horrible thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you before.  I am Anubis.  By destiny, this galaxy is mine to do with as I please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you are Anubis, then I shall throw you back into the hell from which you came!”  Apophis motioned his First Prime to cut the channel, doubling as the order to attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al reclined on his throne in the pel’tak of his own ha’tak.  His customary insincere smug smile changed subtly, becoming more sincere in a way that anyone who knew him well -- if any such person existed -- would find very frightening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al had offered Apophis some advice to avoid a repeat of his failed “probe,” and through subtly pressing Supreme System Lord’s buttons had caused a frustrated Apophis to simly hand control of the battle to Ba’al in its entirety.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba’al’s plan worked perfectly.  Under his command, all the ships in the fleet focused on the first enemy ha’tak, smashing aside its shields and obliterating it mere seconds.  The second ship took the opportunity to flee into hyperspace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You let one escape!” Apophis immediately accused, appearing on the screen on Ba’al’s pel’tak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But we destroyed the other,” Ba’al replied easily.  “And if you will allow me to collect and analyze the wreckage, we may come to understand the power this so-called Anubis wields.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis glowered, then nodded, summarily cutting off communication.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aboard his ship, Apophis ordered detailed scans of the planet’s surface, quickly locating the weapon and its enormous energy output.  He opened a channel to the assembled System Lords on their ships.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is here, the weapon which has destroyed three of my planets, and is attempting to destroy a fourth.  I shall not permit such atrocity to exist in my galaxy.  It shall be destroyed, now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For once, there was no argument.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apophis brought his mothership into orbit.  With but two blasts, the weapon was destroyed.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Anubis raged on the bridge of his ha’tak.  The Eye of Ba’al had been on that destroyed ship.  His goal, already seeming difficult, was now impossible.  His flagship, at least a match for Apophis’ own, would still be completed, but without the weapon around which it had been designed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anubis roared again in fury.  There were at least three planets that, in his view, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really needed</span>
  </em>
  <span> a good, thorough exploding.  And many more he would simply enjoy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Returning to his hidden shipyard, Anubis carefully considered how he would proceed against the Goa’uld, and how exactly the Eyes of Balor and Osiris could be put to best use.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The wreckage of the destroyed ha’tak was most enlightening.  Ba’al had an idea for how the weapons and shields had been pushed so far past what other Goa’uld were capable of, and with time should be able to recreate it.  Of course, with Apophis breathing down his neck, and well aware of how clever Ba’al was, he would have to share such upgrades with the other System Lords.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But there was something Ba’al could keep to himself.  A compartment within the ha’tak had survived, and within it was the Eye of Ba’al.  It quickly became clear the Eye had been tied into the ship’s systems, doubling its already impressive power.  Within a week, Ba’al would be able to duplicate the process on his own ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wouldn’t be enough to topple Apophis on its own, but it was an advantage.  And advantages your enemies didn’t know you possessed were the best ones.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’ve actually had the outline for this chapter sitting around for quite some time, and when breaking it I had this idea.  You know how Anubis was exiled for crimes “unspeakable” even to the Goa’uld?  Well, as casually as a lot of sci-fi treats it, physically annihilating a habitable planet is an insanely horrible thing to do.  Not just for all the people you’ll kill in the process, but for eliminating an entire, unique ecosystem, removing one of the potentially very rare life-bearing worlds, not to mention, depending on how you blow it up, gravitational effects that might disrupt the whole solar system.  It’s. . . well, unspeakable.  Maybe that’s at least part of what Anubis did to piss the other Goa’uld off.  Slaves are a dime a million. . . worlds on which you can breed more slaves are valuable.</p><p>The Ancient Weapon that destroyed Stargates, perhaps, wasn’t quite powerful enough on its own to destroy an entire planet.  But, a lot of Goa’uld worlds probably have naquadah, which could cause chain reactions to physically destroy said planets.</p><p>Apophis has his Eye, but doesn’t quite know what to do with it yet.  Anubis has two, knows exactly what he wants to do, but needs the others.  The Tau’ri have two, and are close to figuring them out.  And Ba’al has his back, but isn’t about to tell anyone.</p><p>And Ba’al may or may not be on the verge of possibly starting his grand scheme to potentially give Apophis a short, sharp kick in the ass.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Operation Poison Freeze</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which things advance.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>XCOM HQ</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Brazil</b>
</p><p>
  <b>June, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Having secreted it in a secure, encrypted partition in the lab's computers, Dr. Vahlen examined the data on the subject codenamed "Ayiana" transmitted from the White Rock Research Station.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was astonishing, beyond anything she'd thought possible.  The shortcuts she and Anise had devised for XCOM's psionic training were effective, but the potential of this subject made her work look like child's play.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Then again, I have not had the benefit of several million years of evolution to prepare my subjects.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, the data could be very useful.  Properly integrated with her own research, this could improve both the scope and power of the psionically gifted.  Perhaps, even, generate psionic potential in those lacking it.  Vahlen very much hoped her request for Ayiana's corpse to be transferred to XCOM for dissection would be granted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yawning, Vahlen closed the files, then shifted them to a deeper hidden subdirectory and added another layer of encryption.  She didn't want Nirrti to even be aware it or Ayiana existed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vahlen frowned in the darkened, deserted science lab.  The former System Lord was up to something, of that Vahlen was certain.  The specifics eluded her, but she knew it had to do with psionics, so Vahlen had been keeping Nirrti as far from the subject as possible while trying to make it look like that wasn’t what she was doing.  Of course, Vahlen was fairly certain Nirrti was aware of her interdiction and attempting to circumvent it without being obvious about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A small, wicked part of Dr. Vahlen thrilled at matching wits with someone as deviously, evilly clever as Nirrti.  She did her best to tamp it down.  This wasn't some chess match against a worthy opponent.  If Vahlen let Nirrti outmaneuver her, more would be lost than a bit of pride.  The fate of humanity, of the whole galaxy potentially, could be at stake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Colorado Springs</b>
</p><p>
  <b>July, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All things considered, it had been a nice night, Carter reflected.  To take her mind off Colonel O'Neill still being with the Tok'ra to be healed from the mysterious plague Ayiana had carried, Carter had treated herself to a nice meal at her favorite restaurant, and was now wandering the streets in the warm summer night's air, letting her mind wander.  While L2 laser weapons and alloy nanofiber vests were rolling out of factories across the globe, XCOM was phasing out and recycling their lasers for plasma weapons.  The materials bottleneck meant the SGC would be making due with lasers for the foreseeable future, but those were sufficient.  Vahlen's psionic research was paying off, unlocking the mental powers of Annette Durand and the three "Furies," as XCOM had taken to calling them, as well as a few others.  The invitation had been extended for the SGC to send their people in for testing, though Hammond and Zhang were still debating.  With more of the Meld substance being recovered, there was even talk about offering gene moods to SG team members, or adding some MEC troopers.  Apparently, two XCOM troops had recently been grievously wounded, and were undergoing the procedure to return to the field.  Another had simply volunteered.  Sam couldn't quite wrap her head around why--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her thoughts were interrupted by flashes of light and explosions.  Not precisely explosions, she realized as she reflexively analyzed the patterns of light and sound.  Something, actually several somethings, had bombarded the town from high altitude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reaching under her leather jacket, Carter drew her laser pistol.  She wouldn't normally be armed off-base, but the last few years of invader attacks had resulted in a new normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sprinting to the nearest impact, Carter saw a police car already on site.  Both officers had the trunk open, one grabbing the issue AR-15X, the other the L2-A.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keeping her weapon up and held as nonthreatingly as possible, Carter drew her military ID and cautiously approached the officers' line of sight.  "Major Samantha Carter, US Air Force, how can I help?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The officers looked her over, especially the laser pistol in her hand.  "Take cover," the older one said.  "They'll be on us any second."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if summoned, a trio of Floaters zipped around the corner, roaring as they brandished their plasma carbines.  The officers opened fire, the tungsten alloy 5.56 rounds of the AR punching holes in the first Floater's armor, the L2's red beam burning through to the meat.  The Floater dropped out of the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter fired off a few shots from her pistol before ducking back from returning plasma blasts.  Clad only in her civilian clothes, a solid hit from even a plasma carbine would almost certainly be fatal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As though to prove the point, the officer with the AR went down, his chest a crater of charred fabric and flesh.  The second plasma burst missed the officer with the laser rifle, setting the squad car ablaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Darting away from the burning vehicle, the officer fired his rifle.  Carter squeezed off more shots with her pistol, and together they took down the remaining two Floaters as the police car exploded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More officers arrived on-scene, carrying XCOM-inspired ballistic and laser weapons.  A pod of four Thin Men leaped and darted through, firing at the reinforcements.  Carter did her best to keep her head down while firing, when suddenly her world turned sickly blue-green.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tried to hold her breath, but the poison was already in her lungs, triggering great, racking coughs, which drew more of the toxin in.  Eyes swimming with blinding tears, she scurried out of the venom cloud, avoiding a plasma blast in the back through sheer luck.  Bullets, lasers, and plasma zipped by, but Carter was helpless to contribute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More sounds were added to the battle.  The screech of Sectoids, and the far more welcome distinctive thrum of military Humvees.  The clomp of Jaxanite boots on asphalt, and a dramatic uptick in the volume of laser fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blinking tears from her irritated eyes, Carter saw a concerned-looking man kneel in front of her.  "Ma'am?  Ma'am, are you alright?"  Carter tried to answer, managing only another ragged cough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm getting you to a hospital."  Carter tried to stop him as he reached to pick her up, tried to explain through fits of coughing.  "It's okay, I'm a cop.  Detective Shanahan."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter managed to hold out her military ID again and gasp the word "infirmary."  Detective Shanahan was stalled just long enough for someone else to join them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's okay, I got her," Yamada said, opening her medkit and pushing a mask against Carter's face.  "Just breathe, Major, you'll be fine."  The chemical concoction in the XCOM medkit quickly neutralized the Thin Man venom, easing the ache in Carter's lungs and throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking around, Carter saw all the XCOM operatives assigned to the SGC opening up on the invaders.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Her voice still weak and scratchy, Carter concluded her report to General Hammond and Colonel Zhang in the SGC briefing room.  "In the end, the invaders got away with thirty people.  It could have been worse.  The advanced weapons issued to the local PD helped, but not enough.  It was only when our XCOM contingent arrived that the invaders were driven off."  She took a deep breath, suppressing a slight cough.  "So where was the rest of XCOM?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Strike Three was occupied defusing an alien explosive device that would have leveled Berlin," Zhang answered.  "The Commander had to prioritize, and had every confidence our local forces could handle the abduction attempt adequately."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They got thirty people," Janet interjected.  "That doesn't sound particularly adequate."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Better than the entire population of Berlin," Zhang replied.  "And there is room for improvement, which we should see as our technological advances become more widespread."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carter would have liked to argue the point, but her voice was too fatigued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>General Hammond tapped his pen on the table.  "In the meantime, we do what we can.  Major Carter, report back to the infirmary with Doctor Fraiser."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, sir," both women said as they got up to leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's escalating again, isn't it?" Hammond asked Zhang once they were alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It appears that way.  A marked increase in alien activity over the last month.  And we still haven’t pinned down EXALT, though I believe we are close."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I actually had a thought on that."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, this chapter covers both episode 6.04 "Frozen" and 6.05 "Nightwalkers."  The first to establish it happened exactly as it did in canon, the second to have it butterflied away.  "Nightwalkers" was the direct result of Adrian Conrad's plot to get a Goa'uld symbiote to cure his terminal illness, and he only got that symbiote because the Russian Stargate Program captured a Jaffa whose symbiote was about to mature.  No Russian program, no captive Jaffa, no symbiote for Conrad to get, no symbiote cloning project to go off the rails.  But, "Nightwalkers" was an Earth-centric episode, which gave me the opportunity to do something Spacebattlers have been asking for for awhile:  show how Earth is changing in response to alien invaders and alien technologies.  I always had it in the back of my head that this episode would be a good place to do that, but season six actually has a lot of Earth-based episodes, so we may be seeing more of it.  Depends on if the muse tickles.</p><p>And yes, I know satellite coverage stops abductions.  But as annoying a gameplay aspect as it is, being forced to choose what you'll respond to is great for the narrative.  Hitting Colorado Springs was not the brightest move the X-Rays ever made, and I thought it was fun having the SGC's XCOM contingent end the abduction pretty much just by showing up.  "Alloy nanofiber vests" are an invention of mine, taking the nanofiber vest and adding some Jaxanite to make an easily manufacturable lightweight armor for general distribution.  Though, perhaps too lightweight.</p><p>Way back when, I was kind of surprised how many comments I got on Spacebattles about how deeply XCOM ballistic weapons sucked.  I tried to justify their in-game performance while having Torres be clear that, while they had drawbacks, they were also very good within their proper operational ranges.  I was mostly thinking that they were first-gen, prototype weapons designed by committee, and while they could have been better, they were adequate to the job, and the resources that could have gone to improving them were better spent reverse-engineering alien technology.  So now, we're seeing the results of those learning experiences applied to other weapons.  Lasers are still desirable (and plasma rules the universe), but new designs of existing weapons to make use of XCOM specs (tungsten rounds for penetration of alien armor) still increases the effectiveness of the ordinary first responder to an alien incursion.</p><p>And I haven't forgotten EXALT, but I've pinned down where I'm going with them.  Hope you like it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0043"><h2>43. The Difference Between Error And Mistake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Someone has a plan.  Is it a good plan?  Is it ever?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>The </b>
  <b>
    <em>Avenger</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Earth Orbit</b>
</p><p>
  <b>August, 2002</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Major Erin Gant collected her tray and moved through the noisy mess hall.  Over the last few months, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span> had been growing steadily more crowded.  A platoon of Marines had been assigned for physical security, as well as five more Air Force officers with the GTO gene mod to serve as extra pilots and gunners.  Colonel Ronson had arrived to take over as the ship's CO, naming Gant herself as XO.  Science teams still crawled throughout the ship, apparently learning new things every day, and teams of engineers worked to make the spaces more comfortable and efficient for a human military crew, their current project refitting the glider bays to handle F-302s and Firestorms.  Most contentiously, the Air Force had finally swallowed its pride and asked the Navy to assign a flight deck crew to handle hangar operations.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gant took a seat across from her usual dining companion.  "Morning, Hebron."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Apologies," he replied in the vibrating bass voice of the symbiote.  "Hebron is allowing me some time in charge.  I am Lantash."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Pleased to meet you," Gant replied, covering her surprise.  To her knowledge, this was the first time since they'd blended Hebron had allowed Lantash to take control.  "Though I suppose we have met, actually."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have remained aware while you have interacted with Hebron, though it is nice to speak with you directly.  How are you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gant smiled.  "Oh, you know, just plotting out my eventual rise to total galactic domination."  The Goa'uld Technology Operation gene mod had none of the side effects the SGC had been concerned about.  The </span>
  <em>
    <span>monitoring</span>
  </em>
  <span> for those side effects was another matter.  Hebron had been a great help, letting her keep a sense of humor about the whole thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If we can be of assistance, we ask only to be remembered fondly when the time comes to divvy up the spoils."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My spoils," Gant replied, taking a bite of her toast.  "So, what brings you out, Lantash?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wished. . . to stretch my legs, as you might say.  It is not so confining, letting Hebron be in charge, but one does miss acting on one's own behalf."  He smiled.  "It has been a long road for the both of us, but Hebron and I are reaching our equilibrium."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gant nodded, having been briefed on Hebron's history and time as host to the Goa'uld Tanith.  "It can't be easy, having your mind and body taken over completely like that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is not.  Those memories remain difficult for both of us, but remind us why we stand against the Goa'uld."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lieutenant Garibaldi of the Marines plunked down his tray and dropped into a seat next to them.  "Howdy, Major.  Hebron."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lieutenant," Gant replied as Garibaldi dug in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good morning," Lantash said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Garibaldi paused, then snapped his fingers, pointing at Hebron.  "Lantash, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Correct."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes!  Nice to meet you.  How's things?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They are," Lantash answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Pretty much," Gant added.  "How are the Marines settling in?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Espatears, Major."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Garibaldi shrugged, continuing to eat.  "'Marine' comes from 'mar,' French for 'ocean.'  We're not on an ocean, we're in space, so we're not 'marines.'  French for 'spacer' is something like 'espasee,' but the spelling's all French, so we decided to go with 'Espatear.'  We're Espatears."  Garibaldi smiled around a mouthful of scrambled eggs as though this made all the sense in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay," Gant answered slowly.  "How are the Espatears settling in?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Great!" Garibaldi said, gulping his coffee.  "The eggheads are running their fancy tests, but once they're confident we won't blow holes in the hull with them, we're getting XCOM plasma weapons once their Strike teams are outfitted.  They're also sending up Carapace armor, and we'll be replacing that with Titan once XCOM starts making spares."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good news," Lantash replied.  "By the end of the week, we should have the Eye of Tiamat installed to boost </span>
  <em>
    <span>Avenger</span>
  </em>
  <span>'s systems.  The final tests in the interface are being run now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"SG-1 apparently found something neat on their current mission," Gant put in.  "Some kind of miracle cure-all."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lantash and Garibaldi were silent a moment.  "Well, if it's a </span>
  <em>
    <span>competition</span>
  </em>
  <span>," Garibaldi finally said.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>"You are beyond my greatest hopes and dreams," Egeria said, her voice weak but still filled with quiet authority and warmth.  "I would ask one last request of you, my children."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anything, my queen," Malek replied, the pinched look on his face revealing how hard he was fighting back tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Your alliance with the Jaffa.  Make it work.  It is a hope I dared not hold for you.  Is one of the larvae the Jaffa have obtained a queen?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is too early to tell, my queen."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Create a harcesis, that my knowledge -- and more importantly, my love -- may live on.  When you have a new queen, I have little doubt my daughter who is not my daughter will gladly serve as host."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It will be done, my queen."  Malek looked over to SG-1.  "These are the Tauri, who ally themselves with the Tok'ra."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After Egeria had finished solving the riddle of the tretonin antidote, O'Neill pulled Malek aside.  "Look, I'm very sorry for your loss, but are you sure this whole harness-cheese thing is a good idea?  I mean, we've dealt with those before, and it hasn't gone well."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I understand your concerns, Colonel.  But the Tok'ra split from the Goa'uld over two thousand years ago.  We know what we know, the risk is minimal."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So you're saying there </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a risk?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is a thing the High Council has considered ourselves.  With Egeria's blessing, we know it to be worthwhile."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O'Neill sighed.  "Just, please, be careful.  For all of us."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you not the most vocal critic of our tendency towards caution?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>O'Neill paused.  "Well, nice to know irony is alive and well."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ugh, SO sorry I let this lie for so long!  Things got generally more interesting than I like in relation to work, and I kept forgetting to actually update this when I had the chance.  Apologies, and let's hop straight into the notes proper:</p><p>Been awhile since we looked in on Avenger, Hebron, and Gant, so this seemed a good time.  The Marines taking to calling themselves "Espatears" is from the Atomic Rockets website, discussing the etymology of words.  Space Is An Ocean is perhaps overused in sci-fi, and Stargate averts it where it can, so I thought I'd tip the hat a bit.  It also gave me a chance to bring things a bit up to speed and advance tech a bit, in development and deployment.  Colonel Ronson was the first CO of Prometheus, replaced after about a year by Colonel Pendergast, which basically gives me a spare Colonel to put in charge of Avenger.</p><p>The leader of Avenger's Marines being "Garibaldi" works on a few levels.  The obvious allusion is to Michael Garibaldi of Babylon 5, but there's also Giuseppe Garibaldi, who led the Italian revolutionaries known as "red shirts."  And yes, that still ties back to Michael Garibaldi, too.</p><p>Then we nab the tail end of episode 6.10 "Cure" and the death of Egeria.  By the time everything in the episode gets sorted, it's just too late for Egeria to be saved.  Which is sad.  But making a Tok'ra harcesis and having them host an aboriginal Goa'uld queen properly educated by a Jaffa amounts to Egeria living again.  The symbiote can absorb the knowledge and memories of its host, then pass those on to her offspring, and the Tok'ra now have a real chance.</p><p>Yeah, there's a risk.  The Goa'uld were out and conquering before Egeria rebelled, so the harcesis may have some of those bad memories.  And the aboriginal Goa'uld may not be as easily turned good as some hope.  It'll be a struggle, but one worth fighting.  The Tok'ra are going to have to step up their efforts to recruit hosts, which I imagine will involve diplomacy with formerly Goa'uld-held worlds. . . and may help them lose just a bit of their arrogance.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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